Of Crows and Blood-Red Eyes
by HokagenoNaruto
Summary: Uchiha Itachi never expected to live after his fight with Sasuke. In fact, he was one hundred percent sure that he didn't; him being revived by Edo Tensei assured that. So, even he couldn't help but be surprised when he opened his eyes once more to a world similar, but at the same time, completely different from his own. Given another chance at life, what will Itachi do?
1. Another Life, Another Chance

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was not a man who aimed to discover ways to lengthen his life beyond his natural capacity. Nor was he one who wishes at a second chance at life. When he had essentially committed suicide during his battle with Sasuke, Itachi has wished that it would be the last time he would wake. That he would finally be met with some semblance of peace for the crimes he had committed during his time alive, despite the intent of greater good within them.

So when he awoke as an undead warrior opposing the Joint Shinobi Alliance, he was far from pleased. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the gift he had stored inside of Naruto, meant to be used on Sasuke, Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan, cast the Kotoamatsukami on himself. Itachi fought alongside his brother one final time, defeating the dark genius controlling the many legendary shinobi, Kabuto. They made their peace, and he hoped that his brother had finally understood what to do.

As stated before, he was not a man who wanted second chances. He was satisfied with his death; Itachi had no need or want to be alive again. After defeating Kabuto, he had closed his eyes and smiled kindly as he spoke to his brother for the final time and passed on.

So imagine his surprise, when he opened his eyes- his real eyes- right after "dying" again.

* * *

Itachi lay on the ground in an unknown clearing, surrounded by miles of forest. For a moment, he believed he was dreaming. After all, such landscapes did not exist in limbo. But as more time passed, Itachi began to notice that his "dream" was becoming closer and closer to reality. His right hand slowly came up, feeling his face. Tingling electrical pulses raced through his body as skin made contact with skin, causing his eyes to widen.

He got up, his body somewhat sore.

"What's going on...?" He wondered, curious about where he was. He was wearing the same clothing he had been wearing throughout the majority of his time in life. That is to say, the clothing he wore before fighting Sasuke. Itachi felt around his body, noticing that he still had his kunai and shuriken pouches equipped, as well as the other hidden weapons he once had on his person, each in the exact spot he remembered them to be. Covering him entirely was his Akatsuki cloak, the red cloud patterns bringing back memories of a time long past.

Pulling out a kunai, he gazed into it. His eyes lacked the black sclera that was a telltale sign of resurrection via Edo Tensei. Furthermore, his vision was similar to the time before he had gained his Mangekyou. He could see clearly, his eyes revealing details that he had long forsaken seeing. He glanced up, looking around once more. There were no recent signs of human life that would possibly give him hints.

'Am I...alive?' he thought with wonder. It just couldn't be possible, could it? How could he have been brought back to life, if that is what happened. His grip on his kunai tightened. Sighing slightly, he dragged it across his palm, applying light pressure, opening up a cut.

'Pain. I feel...pain.'

As his hand began to bleed lightly, Itachi was stuck with a new revelation. He was alive. Somehow, through some unknown means and for some unknown cause, he was alive. He didn't know what to make of it. He could be happy of course; he was being given a second chance, different from what Kabuto had done. An actual chance to live his life.

He gazed into his kunai once more, willing his Sharingan to life. It came normally, his chakra flow once again setting in that he was indeed alive. The pinwheel eyes that had caused so much suffering for so many people spun idly, before morphing further as he applied more chakra. Slowly, the three tomoes merged into a single, connected pattern. The shuriken of his Mangekyou.

"So what now?" He mused out loud. What was he to do? Simply live? To find something he enjoyed doing, and do so until he passed away once more?

"I'll leave such questions for a later date," he said, shaking his head, deciding on a rudimentary course of action. His first order of business would be to find civilization. From the trees surrounding him, he could only assume he was somewhere in Hi no Kuni. He began walking in the direction of where Konoha would be, having a mental map and instincts built for where it was from his time in ANBU.

As he walked more and more, Itachi could not help but notice that while there were trees, and many of them, none of them felt like the trees of his homeland. The trees there were much larger and grand, giving off the presence of hundreds of years of aged natural beauty. The trees here were comparatively young, having little chakra running through them.

'Perhaps I've landed in another country, or I'm near the outskirts of Hi no Kuni?'

It would certainly make sense why nothing felt right. As if he was in a different territory altogether; he didn't quite know why he felt this, but he had always trusted his instincts, for they had rarely been wrong.

Thirty minutes later, as he continued to travel idly, Itachi sensed a group of people near his location. It was far from a small group, but the chakra levels that he sensed were barely that of a civilian level, leading him to deduce it was likely a caravan. He took to the trees immediately, hopping from branch to branch to where he sensed they were. With his immense speed, built up from years of being a shinobi, he was there in a matter of seconds.

His curious eyes examined the people as they walked along the caravan from behind a tree. They were wearing clothing that was quite different from the traditional clothing designs that ran fairly similar throughout the Elemental Nations. He noted what appeared to be guards standing at random intervals, hired to protect the merchandise that was being carried. They too, were dressed oddly. The closest resemblance he would think of was the samurai of Tetsu no Kuni, who also wore armour.

Yet, despite that, this armour was clearly designed uniquely. It was much sleeker than samurai armour, allowing for more movement. However, the condensed appearance of the metal made it appear much heavier, but also better suited to withstand blows. A symbol with a circular shield with a bold cross within it was emblazoned on the shoulder of each soldier.

'Why would a caravan hire common soldiers for protection? Granted, they are less expensive, but shinobi have a much higher success rate.'

Itachi gazed on, trying to find anything of interest in the caravan. Other than the strange people and soldiers, the veteran shinobi could find none. He decided to follow the caravan, hoping it would lead him to civilization, which would the first method of discovering where exactly he was situated.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

For two days, Itachi had tailed the caravan in hopes it would lead him to civilization. As the caravan progressed on its journey, Itachi noted that the temperature slowly dropped. The dense forests thinned and slowly gave way into a snowy tundra. Itachi, despite being trained to endure in all forms of weather and the Akatsuki cloak being equipped with seals to regulate body temperature, was beginning to feel cold. After observing for some time, he had discovered that the caravan indeed had extra woolen cloaks. Itachi had easily snuck into the carriage in the dark of night and stolen one.

Furthermore, Itachi also noted that the soldiers were acting much more relaxed. While still weary, they appeared to have lost a certain paranoia that plagued their journey through the forests. They had begun laughing, as well as talking avidly with each other over drinks of ale. He had thought that perhaps the caravan had been afraid of the bandit camps that were known to dot the landscape of Hi no Kuni.

But he had bigger problems than his destination. He still had no idea as to why, or how he was even alive. The people appeared to speak the same language as him, though he had yet to make many attempts to read their lips to discern what they were saying. From the few times he had, they were speaking of mundane things that didn't help his cause at all.

He was currently walking some ways away from the caravan, not wanting to be found out. While it would certainly be easier to walk closer to the caravan in the snowy weather, he didn't want to be found out and possibly recognized. Rather than attempting to maintain a Henge and impersonate someone, Itachi had decided that observing from a distance was the much easier alternative, albeit slightly more taxing.

He continued trying to observe his surroundings. From the snow, he would have to say he was in Yuki no Kuni, during the winter months. He had not been to the country very often, but it would explain the snowy weather, as well as the different customs and clothing. He had heard that the people of Yuki no Kuni were a bit different from the rest of the Elemental Nations.

Itachi also couldn't but wonder how the remainder of the war had gone. He had faith that his younger brother and Naruto had managed to emerge victorious. However, war was war, and it was not without sacrifice. The very basis of war itself was sacrifice. It caused the sacrifice of ammunition, food, other forms of weaponry, money and most of all, lives. People died in war, and it was the very thing Itachi had strived to stop in his lifetime.

He would remain a pacifist forever; he knew this to be fact. The horrors he had been forced to view forever scarred him, even to this day. His entire personality had been developed around the thought and dream of keeping the peace. Each and every thing he did was for that purpose- the purpose of having peace; from the massacre of his clan, to willingly becoming a missing-ninja to spy on Akatsuki.

As he had been walking, lost in his thoughts, Itachi had subconsciously noticed that the previously calm winds had begun to pick up. Snow began falling slowly at first, but began to rapidly increase the speed of it's descent, along with the amount. In but a few minutes, a blizzard was raging around him, the winds howling ominously.

Itachi gripped his stolen cloak tighter, pulling it closer to his body. He narrowed his eyes, his survival instincts going haywire. He had a feeling something was amiss.

And he was far from wrong; moments later, he heard a feminine scream come from the caravan, followed by various shouts of the men. He couldn't make out exactly what they said, but Itachi had been in situations such as these far too much and immediately knew what was wrong- they were under attack. But the question of what still remained.

Itachi strained his newly healed eyes, attempting to see through the thick sheets of snow that fell around him. At most, he was able to make out blurry outlines of the caravan and people running around. As he ran closer, he was able to see another shape, one that was far from human. It appeared to stand about ten feet tall, with a lean body and long neck. A long shape ran out from its backside, and Itachi could only assume that it was a tail. It's red eyes glinted even through the snow, shiny white teeth glittering as they ripped into the body of a man. It appeared to have proportionate sized arms.

He was closer to it now, and as it raised his head and roared it's superiority, Itachi felt the pure bloodlust that flowed from the creature. Similar roars erupted from other parts of the caravan, followed by screams of fright and pain.

'There's an entire pack of them,' Itachi thought with slightly wide eyes. He was not normally impressed or taken by surprise by anything. But the fact he had never once before seen this creature was what surprised him. With each moment, he was beginning to believe that he wasn't in Yuki. The country may be filled with snow and constant blizzards, but even it didn't have any reports of monstrous beasts such as these.

Suddenly, Itachi felt something moving towards him. He quickly glanced behind himself, seeing another one of the beasts charging straight at him. He calmly waited for it to near him, jumping over it with graceful ease obtained through years of training, tossing a quick kunai at its head.

The beast moved, diverting the blow the kunai only ended up in its side. It gave a roar of pain, giving Itachi time to burst through a series of handseals, his hands mere blurs to the naked human eye.

**'Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!'**

Several balls of fire rushed towards the beast from Itachi's mouth. They burst against its skin in miniature explosions, knocking the beast over. Itachi didn't waste any time as it's body rushed forward, kunai already in hand, and stabbed it through the monsters eyes. It gave him a final look of defiance as the light in its eyes faded, passing on to the next world.

He stood up from his crouched position, lightly shaking the snow from his cloak. He wiped the kunai against the monsters skin, and retrieved the one he had thrown earlier.

Itachi ran forward, noticing the other monsters still harassing the people in the caravan. He kept a kunai in each hand, ready to defend himself at any given time.

"They appear to have a decently tough hide. However, while there is some intelligence, they are not very strong by themselves," he muttered absently to himself. As he neared another beast, he noticed it being held off shakily by a soldier, it's maw being prevented from biting into the soldier by the sword that was in its mouth. It growled, lashing its tail out at the soldier's head, aiming for the killing blow so that it could eat the woman and child behind the soldier.

The woman shouted out a warning, but it came too late. The soldier was smashed off to the side, his body colliding with the caravan. The soldier hastily stood up on shaking legs, but the beast was already upon him once more.

However, before it could close its jaws on his head, Itachi interfered. He leaped into the air, his kunai flying straight into the top of the head of the beast. It didn't go very deep, but Itachi quickly remedied that by sinking the kunai into its brain with a drop kick on his descent.

Its heavy body held its ground for a few moments, before falling on its side. The soldier in front of him, who was about to get eaten, dropped to his knees in shock. He seemed to realize he had been saved, and turning to profusely thank his mysterious saviour, but Itachi was already gone, moving onto the next beast.

He noticed that some of the soldiers had formed a tight ring, fighting off a small group of monsters. Within the ring, an elegantly dressed man sat on the ground, clutching a woman who was beside him tightly. He appeared to be middle aged, wearing a royal purple coloured hat, along with a long flowing cloak. Compared to his own, the man's was much more intricately designed. The woman beside him was dressed similarly, though her face contained a lot more make up. Of course, what beauty she might have had was ruined by the utterly petrified look on her face. She was much younger than the man, leaving the question of what sort of relationship they shared hanging.

'That must be their employer, and possibly his daughter.' Itachi thought as he ran to help them.

He jumped on one of the beasts that had been about to break the ring of soldiers, the kunai in his hands flashing forward in two killing blows. One went straight for the beast's throat, slitting it, the other going into the side of its head. As it fell, Itachi pushed off the now dead body with his legs, pulling his kunai with him and landing in a crouch beside it.

The soldiers noticed the new arrival who had clearly just saved them. They gave the hooded newcomer grateful nods, before focusing their efforts back on the fight at hand. He was clearly strong, and his help would be beneficial in saving the lives of their employers.

A second beast that had just picked up a soldier by the waist bit into him, ripping the man in half. Itachi gave a small wince at the gruesome sight as the man screamed at his now separated body. However, he didn't let it hinder him as he jumped forward, slashing at the beast.

It backed away immediately, narrowly dodging Itachi's kunai. It gave him a guttural growl, before its tail whipped forward to smash him to pieces.

The beast appeared to smile victoriously as his opponent was 'hit'. However, it gained a confused look as the once man before him went up in smoke, a shattered rock left in his place. It was put out of its confusion quickly, however, as Itachi sunk both kunai into its head.

There was one more beast remaining, Itachi noted. It was much larger than the others, with a murderous look on its face. It was the first one he had seen, though he noticed one thing he hadn't before. A glittering red gem emerged from its chest, shining dangerously every now and then.

He ran at it, jumped over the bodies of his previous foes.

'The size of this one...it must be the leader. I cannot assume that it will be exactly the same.'

One of the soldiers noticed his charge, and yelled out after him. "Careful, stranger! Its hide is capable of deflecting our blades!"

Itachi glanced at him momentarily, before turning his attention back on the much larger beast in front of him. He threw an experimental shuriken at it, and was not surprised was it bounced off the skin as if it was mere rock.

'It appears the soldier was right.'

He paid it no mind however, continuing his run fearlessly. The beasts tail shot forward at it, and Itachi noted the sharp edge as he narrowly dodged it, his Sharingan blazing to life.

'An evolved tool for stabbing that the others did not have.'

He leaped to the side to avoid its mouth, bringing his hands up to his mouth.

**'Katon: Gokakyu!'**

The grand ball of fire that was famous in Konoha as the signature technique of the Uchiha clan rushed towards the giant beast. It's size prevented it from dodging, and it took a direct hit. The ball of fire and heat exploded outward as it collided with the skin, eliciting a deep roar from the beast.

It quickly fell over onto its side, breathing deeply. Itachi calmly walked toward it, the kunai slicing across the throat of the beast, where he had discovered the skin was softer and easier to pierce. Needless to say, it was still very tough, but with some force applied, it was cut.

He stood up, wiping the kunai against the skin of the monster and putting it back into his pouch.

Itachi stood up, the rush of battle leaving him slowly. The sound of approaching footsteps alerted him of the soldiers approaching him, and he turned to meet them

Their faces were weary from the battle, and while they appeared to mean no harm, their hands remained close to their swords, in the case that their saviour turned out to be an enemy. One of the soldiers walked up to him, his sword sheathed.

The soldier smiled amiably, offering Itachi his hand. He stared at it for a moment, before hesitantly taking it with his own.

The soldier spoke, shaking Itachi's hand. "I am Commodore Segusa, and on behalf of my men, and myself, I thank you for killing those Ice Dragoons. Without your assistance, we certainly would've died. I will ensure you are rewarded generously, as long as you return with us to our home. But I must ask, what is the name of your Teigu? I have never seen one capable of creating such strong flames."

Itachi blinked, the new terms flowing through his head. It appeared those monsters were called Ice Dragoons, giving him name for the previously unnamed hostile species. But he had only one question that truly remained...

What on earth was a Teigu?!

**-The End-**

_**Well, I'm back with another story. I would update my other ones, but after three months of not logging into fanfiction, all the progress I had made for the next chapters got deleted, leaving me very, VERY sad. I'm currently busy gathering the courage to rewrite them T_T**_

_**Anyway, I've recently been watching Akame ga Kill, and with Naruto ending, I figured why not. I was originally going to put Sasuke into this, but I personally like Itachi's character much more, and I thought it would be interesting to see him in the world of Akame ga Kill, fighting against the evil Empire. This was a fairly action packed chapter, considering it was the first chapter of a story, which frankly surprised me. I usually don't do that, but oh well, better for you guys. I'm gonna try and keep Itachi's character how he would normally act and HOPEFULLY, I won't ruin him. He's like my most favourite character ever :D**_

_**Also, I still have to go back and re-write the first six-ish chapters of Wind Shadow of Fairy Tail. At the time, they seemed good. However, my writing style and just the quality of my writing has certainly progressed, so I'm gonna go back and set those chapters with the format and style of writing I usually have. Oh, and fix bunch of grammar mistakes in some of them because they were the unbeta'd chapters. So yeah, I'll do that first before attempting to go back to writing the next chapter for it. And I was almost done it too T_T**_

_**Review and tell me what you think.**_

HokagenoNaruto, out.


	2. Blade in the Night

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Itachi frowned as he lay down in the bed of his newly acquired inn room. Much had happened in the past week since he had found out he was alive and arrived in what was dubbed the **Northern Territory****.**

_Itachi gained a confused look at the mention of the world Teigu. He truly didn't understand what the man, Commodore Segusa, had meant by that. As far as he knew, a thing such as a Teigu simply didn't exist. The term implied it was a weapon or ability of sorts, yet any tool that was mildly significant was known to Itachi. Whether it was a blade wielded by a missing ninja to a bloodline in the hands of a clan, Itachi knew of them._

_So what was this Teigu exactly? The Commodore had mentioned he had never seen one capable of creating such strong flames. 'That implies that it is a weapon I am dealing with, one that creates fire. However, do all of them do such? Or do these Teigu have different ability. And what form do they take? Are they swords?'  
_

_Various questions ran through Itachi's mind, and the more he attempted to think about them, the greater his confusion grew. _

_The man was growing impatient, Itachi noted. It would be prudent to simply give the man a name, as he had so requested. _

_"The name of my...Teigu," Itachi began, his tongue adjusting to the new word. He paused momentarily, trying to think of a name. He decided to go with the first name that came to mind. After all, if these people had never heard the name he thought of, then he doubted they would question it._

_"It is called **Sharingan**."_

_Segusa nodded, showing no visible recognition of the name, though he continued to stare at Itachi, as if searching for some form of odd weaponry on him. "Ah, would it be possible for me to see it? I have never seen a Teigu in my life," he asked, mild curiosity and excitement dancing on his face. _

_Itachi blinked, not knowing what to say now. A Teigu was clearly a solid, physical weapon, according to the Commodore's question. He currently had no significant looking weapon with him, and he doubted he could pass his actual Sharingan off as his Teigu. _

_Finally, he decided to simply go with an easier alternative. Until he found out more, it would be unwise to speak of things he simply didn't know about. _

_He subtly made hand seals, opening his mouth as if about to speak, diverting the attention of the gathered soldiers._

**_'False Illusion: Altered Memory.'_**

_The illusion spread over the group, his will conveyed via his chakra. The soldiers would now believe he was merely a slightly above average warrior who had saved them. He had shown no significant skills, and merely was lucky to survive against the beasts. The soldiers had also done a lot more, and assisted the strange man in taking down the alpha, which had been about to kill him._

_Segusa nodded, gesturing for Itachi to follow._

_"Once more, I must thank you. Please, come with us to our home so that our lord may reward you."_

Following that, Itachi had traveled with the caravan for another week. Over the course of the week, despite the bad weather and constant snow, they managed to avoid another monster attack from Danger Beasts, as Itachi had learned the animals to be called. During his stay, Itachi had made it a point to learn as much as he could through asking seemingly innocent questions to the civilians, who would suspect much less.

_Itachi graciously took the tea offered to him by a male servant as he respectfully sat in front of the owner of the caravan, a man who he discovered went by the name of Ushogu Tamara, and his wife, Ushogu Hama. While Itachi had often seen daimyos and other nobles with wives much younger than themselves, it was something he never truly understood. Their joining was often simply on of mutual understanding; the daimyo desired a trophy wife, while the lady desired the riches and luxurious lifestyle of the daimyo.  
_

_The servant left after a short bow, and Itachi was left staring at the two in front of him. He gave them a grateful nod. _

_"Thank you for the tea." _

_The man in front of him waved his hand dismissively. "It is us who should thank you..."_

_Tamara trailed off, leaving the hidden invitation open. Itachi took a sip of tea. _

_"Itachi...U-"_

_He paused. While the people here would have likely never heard of him due to their lack of recognition of the Sharingan, he doubted they would know the name of 'Uchiha'. Yet, despite this, Itachi was still paranoid. Names had power. And that was one thing Itachi did not want at this moment. He had no desire to fight any longer. He simply wanted to stop. Uchiha Itachi was the name of the missing ninja, feared throughout the entire Elemental Nations. But right now...he was not in the Elemental Nations.  
_

_"Uchiha Itachi," he continued. While it was true that his name was one feared as that of a brutal killer, he would not make it so in this world. The name Uchiha would not be feared here by innocents, he vowed to himself.  
_

_'Only loved, as it once was in Konoha.'_

_The two in front of him nodded, satisfied. "Well, Itachi-san, if there is anything you need, then please, do ask."_

_Itachi set down his cup, mulling over the options. There was truly only one thing he needed right now; and that was answers to his many questions. But asking mere civilians might not prove as effective. Yet, it would also be the safer alternative. Civilians that had no formal military training often did not question why they were being asked certain things. They merely answered._

_"I would be very grateful if you could answer a few of my questions," he began. At Tamara's nod to continue, he spoke again. _

_"I have unfortunately never been this far into the country," he said, his words flowing smoothly. "May I know where I am exactly?"  
_

_"Ah, you're currently in the Northern Territory. I can understand why you may not have been here; not many who are not native to this land willingly venture this far. It's a very harsh place to live indeed. In fact, my wife barely adjusted when she first moved here, away from the Western Territory."  
_

_Itachi paused, taking in the information. The land he was in appeared to be divided into nations based upon the four cardinal directions; North, South, East and West. Atleast, that was what he assumed. So far, he had only heard of the Northern and Western Territories. He assumed that there were Southern and Eastern Territories to compliment this._

_The division was reminiscent of the Elemental Nations, though much simpler; countries of the Elemental Nations were divided by a defining character trait featured throughout the land. **Tsuchi no Kuni** had it's relatively flat landscape, with outcroppings of rocks scattered across the nation; **Kaminari no Kuni** was similarly named after the many thunderstorms that ran rampant around the land. However, the land here was simply divided based upon the cardinal directions, resulting in only four distinct territories instead of the many the dotted the **Elemental**** Nations**._

_Itachi cleared his throat to catch the attention of the man once more. "May I know where this caravan is heading exactly?"_

_This time, it was Tamara's wife, Hama, who answered him, her soft voice a distinct contrast to Tamara's more boisterous tone. _

_"We are headed to the capital of the Northern Territory, Itachi-san."_

_'So I am headed straight towards where the leader of this country will most likely be.'_

And he had been right; upon arrival to the capital of the Northern Territory two days after officially joining the caravan, Itachi had been directed by the soldiers to come with them as they reported in to their leader, who he learned to be called Numa Seika. Before that however, they had visited a large wooden storehouse, where Itachi witnessed the other contents of the caravan being unloaded. There were swords, spears, pieces of armour, as well as long, dark objects. They were generally thin with ends that widened downward, though some had varying sizes. Itachi could not tell what they were, but he assumed that the objects were some form of weaponry.

_Itachi stood before the man that the soldiers referred to as Numa Seika, the Hero of the North. He was a young man with long black hair and blue eyes. He wore a grey suit of armor on top of a purple high-collared shirt. He also wore a metal headpiece with the symbol of the North, which matched the ones on his chest plate and shoulder guards, as well as a purple cape._

_They were currently in a large court room, with Numa sitting upon a throne-like chair at the very end. Their were attendants, soldiers and nobles rushing around, discussing with each other in rapid paced tones. _

_'They're urgent to do something...but what?'_

_The soldiers beside him immediately dropped to the ground, kneeling with their heads bowed. The Commodore spared Itachi a glance, which he understood immediately. Following the soldier's lead, he also dropped to a knee.  
_

_"My liege," Segusa began. "We have fulfilled the task of returning Ushogu Tamara and his wife, along with their caravan of arms and other supplies to the capital. They are safe inside their home, and the weapons and armour have been unloaded and stored within the Storehouse B, deep within the city."_

_Itachi glanced upwards, looking on as Numa stood up, a smile on his face. "Well done, Segusa. Your squadron has once again proven their ability, though I must ask; who is this man with you?"_

_The curiosity in his voice was obvious, and despite the kind look he kept on his face, Itachi could see the gears turning inside the man's brain. He noticed how his fingers subtly twitched, and soldiers and other people in his court began to casually reposition themselves, blocking off all exits._

_Itachi's eyes narrowed. 'He might be a prince, but he is far from naive. He has the mind of a true soldier, one who has learned to be cautious at all times.'_

_If Segusa had noticed this too, he didn't comment on it or show any outward reaction. "This is Uchiha Itachi, a soldier who assisted us when the caravan was attacked by a group of **Danger Beasts**. With his help, we were able to keep losses to a minimal, except for the death of Corporal Hayabuto Takashi, who died an honourable death fighting to protect the caravan."_

_Numa nodded, his interest in Itachi put on hold. "Was the body recovered?"_

_Segusa shook his head, his eyes sombre and downcast at the loss of his friend and fellow soldier. "Not all of it, my prince. His lower half was ripped away and eaten before we could stop the beast. However, we have preserved the upper body as best we could for his family to give him a proper burial." _

_Numa gestured for something, one of his attendants rushing to his side with a pen and paper in hand. Giving them to Numa, he bowed and promptly left. _

_Numa looked over the paper for a minute, before picking up the pen and writing something on it. Folding it, he gestured for Segusa to take it. "See to it that this is given to Takashi's family- a small comfort in their mourning. Also, you and your platoon get this week off, Captain Segusa." _

_Segusa bowed his head gratefully at his obvious promotion, an action that was accompanied by the soldiers who were beside them. Standing, they all turned to leave, except for Itachi, who merely stayed in his current position, aware that Numa would more than likely want to have some words with him._

_He was correct, as the second Segusa and the others left, Numa spoke, uncaring of the disguised soldiers surrounding them. _

_'He must trust them a lot, to the point where he is allowing them to stay and listen in on a potentially secretive conversation. That, or he'd rather risk them hearing than be alone with a strange man without backup.'_

_"So, Uchiha Itachi, was it?"_

_Itachi graced him with a nod, though his head remained bowed in a show of respect. He had no doubt that he was stronger than every person in the room; he simply had no wish for needless violence that could possibly ensue had he been a more prideful personality. _

_Numa leaned forward, waving his hand somewhat dismissively, though his other hand slowly inched closer to the sword hanging from his side. "Be at ease."  
_

_In response to his clear command, Itachi straightened and stood up, his hands flat at his sides. His face remained as expressionless as always, a quirk that would certainly always stick with the Uchiha. _

_"Why were you with the caravan?" Numa asked after a brief pause. Itachi did not show anything, though inside the confines of his own mind, he allowed himself to mentally frown. It appeared the interrogation had begun. _

_Seeing no need to lie, Itachi merely told the truth, albeit withholding and altering some parts. _

_"I was looking for shelter. I managed to spot the caravan, and decided to follow them for the time being in hopes they could lead me to some form of civilization, which, it seems to have done so."_

_Numa didn't bat an eyelash, nor did he relax in any way. "And why were you looking for shelter? Segusa says you are a soldier."_

_Itachi paused somewhat slightly at the question before continuing, though to the average person, it simple looked as if he hadn't stopped at all. Itachi had already planned out what to say at the possibility of further questioning._

_"I am a mercenary for hire, and I was wandering the lands. However, after a few days, I, admittedly, got lost. So, I wandered for a few days before coming across the caravan. The rest is as you heard it from the Commodore."_

_Numa's face became marred with a light frown, his eyebrows creasing as he thought over Itachi's short recount. There was something about the man's story that didn't quite match up; his instincts told him that the man in front of him was hiding something. Yet, despite this, Numa could also sense no evil intentions from the man, a skill he had picked up with dealing with the many nobles and political figures of the Empire. _

_Especially now, when the tensions between the Empire and the tribes of the Northern Territory were greater than ever, Numa could not simply afford to trust the man in front of him. However, Numa knew he could use every man he could get. If the man in front of him wished to fight, then so be it. If not, he would offer the man the common courtesy of shelter, far away from the barracks of the military. _

_He idly drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne-like chair. "Very well. As you may or may not have heard, the tensions between the vile Empire of the East and the Northern Tribes are greater than ever. War is nigh, and I have need of every fighter I can get."_

_The unspoken question remained hanging. Itachi looked down, his expression far from pleased. It seemed that no matter where he was, war and bloodshed would always be an issue. And from what it seemed, this war would cost many lives; a war between two large countries often did. _

_He was aware of what Numa wanted. Yet, Itachi didn't want to fight. He didn't wish to be the cause of more lives ended. He had seen enough of that in one lifetime. What duty did he have to these people, that he should cut down the lives of men for them? _

_'None.'_

_He voiced the answer mentally. At the same time, he looked up to Numa, and spoke, having made his decision. _

_"I am sorry, but I cannot fight. I do not wish to be involved in a war that is not mine to fight."_

Numa had been disappointed, that much Itachi could tell. However, it was also clear that the man didn't quite let the loss get to him. After all, from the reports giving to him by his soldiers, Itachi was just another warrior. He didn't display anything special that would sway Numa to make stronger attempts to have him fight._  
_

There was a war brewing; that much was certain. From what Itachi had gathered past four days since his meeting with Numa, the Empire wished for the Northerners to join them in complete servitude. But the Northerners also knew of the true nature of the empire; it was an evil place with the most corrupted of moral values. They would sooner die than join such a place.

Instead, they had joined together in open rebellion. While there had been no official fighting as of yet, Numa had sent clear word to the Empire that they would not be joining them. Tensions were surely brewing, and it would only be a matter of time until the army of the North would be waging war.

This was only one of the many things Itachi had researched the past few days. He had questioned many of the civilians of what they knew about the rest of the world, attempting to gain as much knowledge as possible about his new situation, as well research of what these Teigu were.

He had luckily discovered a fair amount about the land itself; it was, as he suspected, divided up by the four cardinal directions. The lands each held their unique characteristics which directly complimented the cardinal direction they were assigned. The Empire, the kingdom to the East, was something that the civilians and soldiers alike feared. As Itachi learned more about the Empire, he could not help but feel disgusted.

He was not a man who was unaware of the way the world truly was; however, the Empire took the extremities of human cruelty, and took them even further. It was a place with corrupted and unreal moral values. Never before had Itachi heard of a place where the seven cardinal sins gathered so frequently: Lust, Greedy, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Sloth and Gluttony- all seven, condensed to form one vile kingdom.

As he delved away from the geography of the land to Teigu, Itachi had discovered that they were directly connected to the Empire. Created one thousand years ago by the original emperor in hopes to protect his kingdom from evil, they were weapons that granted the wielders awe-inspiring powers.

There were rarely any solid accounts of Teigu. Atleast, none that Itachi had heard as of yet from discreetly questioning civilians.

Except for one.

_"Teigu, ya' say?"_

_Itachi nodded his confirmation at the scowling blacksmith who stood before him. He wore simple black pants, along with a dirtied undershirt. He had a hammer in his hand, which, after giving another solid strike to the sword laying beside him, placed it on the workbench beside said sword. _

_"Well, what can I say? Any weapons smith and metalworker worth his salt has heard of Teigu. Legendary weapons, they are, made from the remains of ferocious Danger Beasts that possessed unique abilities," the man informed him, his gaze scrutinizing as he glanced over the sword. They had not exchanged names, and personally, that was fine with Itachi. The less people that knew of his name, the better for diverting questions.  
_

_"Is there anything else you know of them?" Itachi asked with a low voice, his vast curiosity carefully kept out of his tone. _

_The man in front of him narrowed his beady eyes, another scowl forming on his face. "Any reason you want to know, _boy_?" _

_Itachi felt his own eyes narrow at how the blacksmith had stressed the word 'boy', along with his question. He was becoming suspicious, and while Itachi could place him in a Genjutsu, it would be pointless if everywhere he went, he resorted to Genjutsu to avoid situations that were not even close to mildly troubling.  
_

_Instead, Itachi merely closed his eyes, opening them again moments later, plastering a light smile on his face. _

_"I am merely interested in Teigu due to their uniqueness. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out much about that."_

_His simple trick worked like a charm. The smile was meant to portray his good intentions, showing that he didn't mean any harm to the man in front of him. He was merely a curious individual. _

_Against any experienced shinobi, this would have never worked. But the man in front of him was far from a shinobi, and it was clear that his trick had worked as the man immediately relaxed his own posture, though the scowl still remained on his face. _

_"The Teigu were super weapons made by the original Emperor thousands of years ago. He designated them to protect the Empire, but over the years, they've scattered across the world. Not to mention, they Empire isn't exactly a place with the greatest of morals. They appear in many shapes and sizes, such as in the form of weapons or armours. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the specifics."_

_Itachi frowned. There had to be more about the unknown weapons than just their history and vague descriptions. _

_"Do you know of people who wield Teigu?"_

_The man's face almost immediately darkened. His scowl deepened, and Itachi immediately realized that they question had hit closer to home than expected. _

_The smith sat down, looking away from Itachi with his fists clenching tightly. "There's only one person I know of that I am completely sure has a Tiegu. All I truly know is that it allows the wielder to control ice, and the owner of it killed my son."_

_Itachi lowered his head slightly for the man's loss. After all, he was no stranger to loss- it was something Itachi had grown up alongside. That, and death. _

_He spoke again cautiously, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "Do you know the name of this person?"_

_The man stayed silent. It was minutes later that he spoke one name._

_"Esdeath."_

That had been last night. When he left, it was already dark, and many of the shops were closing down. He decided that returning to the inn would be the best option, seeing how there were not many around for him to ask about the mysterious Esdeath.

Itachi didn't quite know why, but he felt that he would not be satisfied with the answers.

* * *

As he toured the city, Itachi noted the increase in the amount of defensive procedures as compared to last week. There were more soldiers lining the wall, as well as whole companies marching around the city to do assigned tasks, such as constructing some of the large platforms that he now saw. There was not much progress on them, and Itachi could not honestly make out what they were trying to build.

'Perhaps a position to look over the walls of the city at a safer distance?' he thought to himself as he walked, no clear destination in mind. He eyed the growing structure once more.

'No, it is too small to do that, and they are already closing it in. Archer posts? That would only be possible if they are expecting to...be invaded.'

Itachi stopped walking at that thought. He knew of the growing tensions between the North and the Empire. Yet, there had been no official declaration of war.

'Numa Seika...he expects, no, he _knows_ a war is coming, and is already preparing by setting the city up against a siege. Commendable.'

He continued walking, moving out of the way of a pair of frantically running soldiers. With his trained ears, he managed to pick up parts of their conversation as they hurried past him.

"Quick! We must...Numa-sama...destroyed outpost...General Esdeath."

The last name immediately stuck with Itachi as the name of the person he had been trying to learn more about.

'This may be the most assured way.'

He discreetly ducked behind a shop, and, making sure that no one was watching, made a hand seal.

_"Meisaigakure no Jutsu." _

Itachi's body immediately became invisible, the light particles reflecting off his body. He quickly leaped to the roof of the building, taking off in the direction of the soldiers moments later.

After all, what better way to learn about someone than to simply eavesdrop on a report that involved said person?

* * *

Esdeath smirked viciously as she wiped the blood off her blade using dead body of a soldier from a Northern outpost that neared the border of the North and the East.

She stood up, walking victoriously to the front of her army, her rapier sheathed at her side, passing by the ranks of cheering men.

The battle had gone easily. The soldiers of the North hadn't been expecting an attack without any declaration of war from the Empire and grew lax. As Esdeath personally marched into the outpost, they had scrambled to pick up their swords.

_"It's her! The demon bitch, Esdeath!" _

_The voice of one of the soldiers cried out as they rallied into a sloppy formation. None of them was in their full armour, though they were still equipped with bits and pieces. One man sported his shin and forearm guards, but missed his chest-plate as he hastily threw on a protective helmet.  
_

_'Not that it will do any good,' Esdeath thought darkly, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across her face. She had gone far too long without glorious battle; an entire month in fact! It was a drug that enticed her, a pleasure like no other. _

_"Normally, I would give you a chance to lay down your weapons and join me...however, I do have my orders to send a message," she began, her rapier slowly drawn from its sheath. She settled into a loose stance, her blade resting in a seemingly non-threatening position at her side._

_"Come. Show me your strength and be hopeless as I crush it underfoot."_

_The men didn't need further encouragement. They charged at her, various weapons drawn. Their formation was commendable, and against a lesser opponent, perhaps a rookie in her army, they would have succeeded. But before her, all struggles were for naught._

_She sidestepped barely as the first man swung his sword down in an attempt to cleave her in two, vertically. She flicked her rapier absently, purposely scratching just his cheek._

_Esdeath followed this routine for the remaining four men. Ducking under one blow, lashing out with a barely glancing blow; jumping over a greatsword aimed to cleaving her legs off below the knee and nicking his arm; disarming a third and slashing across his chest, tearing through the chestplate; nimbly bending to the side as she stepped and slashed at the final man, before utilizing a back kick to send him toward his comrades._

_Now, standing between them and their former post, Esdeath brought the rip of her rapier to her mouth, tasting the blood. She blushed like a maiden losing her womanhood, though it was a demented mockery of the concept._

_"Is this all the men of the North have to offer? I beg of you..."_

_"Satisfy me."_

In the end, they had not even come close to accomplishing that. She had dismantled them easily, one by one, as they charged at her recklessly. She hadn't outright killed them; no, they would manage to pleasure her in the torture chamber, one way or another.

However, she had let one of them go. Partially out of her own sick amusement, partially out of the need to send a message. After all, a war was not truly amusing if there was no fighting.

_"M-monster," the soldier beneath her coughed out as he struggled to breath, his vulnerable chest aching in pain from her last blow. He grunted as he forced himself up, stabbing at her heart with a small dagger that he had concealed in his sleeve. _

_Esdeath only smiled as the tiny weapon neared her. Her rapier flashed out, and a spray of blood followed, accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream. _

_The man, commander of the outpost, stared horrified at his right hand. Or rather, the stump that had taken the place of it. _

_"I commend your struggling. After all, one is never truly defeated until they have died," Esdeath said, looking at the man, no, **warrior**, beneath her with a twinkle of respect in her eye. Sadistic as she was, let it never be said that Esdeath didn't respect proud warriors._

_He stared hatefully at her, his other hand tightly clutching at the stump in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. He opened his mouth, shaking and stuttering from the pain as he spoke. _

_"K-kill me, if you h-have any soul l-left," he managed to gasp out.  
_

_Esdeath appeared pleased with his attitude. It gnawed at her sadistic tendencies. They urged her to torture him. To break him more than he already was.  
_

_"Unfortunately," she began, disappointed slightly. "You still have yet to serve your purpose."_

_She moved from above him towards his sword that was on the ground a few feet away. She picked it up, admiring the work done it. It was about three feet in length, with a decent sized handle and straight edge that curved from both edges into a sharp point at the top. The guard was a simply, circular design, shaped into the emblem of the North._

_Esdeath gave it a few experimental swings, testing the weight. It was very balanced, and with the double edge, it was meant to be able to reap death from whichever direction it was swung from. _

_"A shame that this sword has another purpose than in the hands of one of my soldiers."_

_She calmly walked back to the struggling and bleeding commander, twirling the sword idly in her left hand. As she neared, he scrambled backwards in a semi-crab walk, his progress halting as he hit the wall behind him. _

_Using her free hand, she grabbed him by the neck, easily picking up the clearly heavier man in a show of strength that did not seem possible due to her frame, ignoring his feeble yells._

_"Run, little soldier of the North. Run, and tell your leader Numa Seika that General Esdeath and her army are coming for his head."_

_She leveled the sword against his shoulder. Esdeath raised it. _

_"I personally think an arm is useless without a hand, no?"_

_It was swung down, the man's screaming echoing through the empty room. The sword clattered uselessly to the ground, blood dripping onto it as it gushed from his body. Esdeath watched, somewhat amused. Letting the pain settle for a few minutes, she finally froze the top of the wound and most of his shoulder up to the neck with cold, hard ice with a wave of her hand._

_Picking up the sword once more, she stabbed it through his left shoulder, leaving it there, essentially leaving the man unable to properly move his arm. The man's only reaction was a light groan of pain, as the earlier pain of losing an arm and the sheer coldness of the ice having numbed his mind._

_She helped him stand. Well, rather, she grabbed him by the scruff of his hair, forcing him into a standing position. She pushed him forward, and he managed to walk, barely keeping himself from falling over. _

_Leading him to the entrance of the small building, she shoved him forward harshly, watching as he unceremoniously collapsed against the snow-covered ground. _

_"Show me if you're truly a warrior. Go, attempt to warn your comrades. Struggle, and **survive**."_

_She promptly turned and walked back towards her army, ignoring the commander's cries of frustration and anger. She had faith that he would make it to inform his comrades. After all, she had frozen his major wound, and the area where she stabbed him was meant to hinder movement of his arm and cause him pain, not kill him. After all, one such as herself knew exactly where to hurt people to ensure they lasted as long as possible to satisfy her tendencies._

Standing beside her brown furred horse, she frowned as she hoisted herself up. The encounter in the outpost had satisfied her somewhat, yes, but it left her with one question.

'Will there be any worthy opponent for me in the North?'

* * *

"My lord, General Esdeath obliterated our fourteenth outpost near the border of the Empire!" The first soldier reported ferociously to Numa, though the undercurrent of anxiety could be heard in his voice. "Her and her army are marching towards us at this very moment!"

Numa frowned as he heard the news. It seemed the Empire had fallen to the low of losing their honour, attacking an outpost as their declaration of war.

"Prepare the city immediately!" he order, rising out of his grandiose seat. "I want our defenses bolstered and any civilian man between the ages of sixteen and sixty trained for battle. Get scouts to watch Esdeath's army, and send out regiments of soldiers sent out to harass her army from the back-lines and set up traps in her path. Use guerrilla tactics, and make it certain that no man is to engage directly!"

"At once!" the second soldier said, bowing immediately after. He turned, dashing out of the grand room to relay the orders.

From his hiding spot, Itachi couldn't help but nod appreciatively at the man's strategy. Esdeath, now identified as a woman, was clearly an extremely strong foe for Numa to deal with. It appeared he was attempting to keep as many men alive as possible and slow down her progress so that he could better defend the city.

Turning his attention back on Numa, he listened in once more.

"I want you to begin preparing all the women and children for evacuation! Supply them with rations and proper traveling equipment, as well as setting aside the Fifth Northern Battalion, consisting of five hundred men strong, from the First Division to guard them!" he barked to the first soldier, the one who had reported to him, who immediately bowed, acknowledging his orders.

As he turned to leave, Numa stopped him.

"Wait! Tell me, how did we come across this information?" he asked curiously, and, befitting of a leader, suspiciously.

The soldier looked down, his fists clenching. His eyes were clearly downtrodden, and his greying hair showed his age. With a shakily controlled voice, he reported.

"Esdeath sent us a message," he said bitterly. "First Lieutenant Yamada Inusen stumbled onto the fifteenth outpost. He was missing his right arm, the wound covered by ice, which was no doubt a result of Esdeath's Teigu. He had another sword stabbed through left shoulder, along with multiple bruises across his body."

He paused, letting the information settle. Hidden in the shadows, Itachi frowned as he heard the news of Esdeath.

'She does not appear to be the most savoury of individuals.'

"Inusen...my son..he survived the trip to report the coming war," the man said fiercely, as if to cement the noble deed his son had carried out. "He died shortly after, due to hypothermia and severe frostbite."

Numa nodded frostily, his own anger barely contained. To kill and maim soldiers from an opposing side was one thing, but to partake in what was blatant torture and cruelty was another that he would not stand for.

"I understand. He shall be given the proper honours, as well as the Purple Cross for his service in relaying the news of war."

The man bowed deeply, humbled. "My lord," he said, taking his leave to carry out his orders. Itachi noted the light tears that welled up in the man's eyes, but refused to fall.

Numa frowned, watching the man leave. In a sombre tone, he vowed.

"Esdeath, your days are numbered."

* * *

Itachi sat at his bed in the inn that night, pondering over the news that he had learned. War was here. There was an army from the Empire, lead by a woman named Esdeath, who's apparently fearsome reputation struck fear into the hearts of men at the mere mention of her name. She was sadistic and cruel to her enemies, as he had discerned from her treatment of the old soldier's son.

He hadn't learned much about her Teigu, or any others for that matter. The only thing that he could say that he now knew was that it allowed to manipulate ice. But how much ice? Was there a limit to the amount? What conditions needed to be met? Could be only control existing ice, or could she materialize her own?

All these questions ran through Itachi's head, but without any concrete sources, none were closer to being solved.

'But Esdeath is not the only one with a Teigu. I do not know how many there are, but they could number in the hundreds for all I know.'

They were weapons of mass destruction. They enabled their wielders to kill and cause the destruction of many things. The Teigu _disturbed _the peace, no matter what intentions the users had.

But the Teigu couldn't be blamed for what they did. Nor could the people that wielded them.

No, the true blame fell on the thing that made them in the first place. The Empire.

Itachi had no doubt that the original Emperor had nothing but good intentions when he created the Teigu. After all, as any great leader would, he wished to see the ensured survival of his people. However, those people had grown corrupt.

Oh, Itachi had heard all the stories as he attempted to know more about the Empire. Of how the corrupt politicians and higher figures of the Empire were men and women who had been corrupted beyond belief. How they raped, murdered, pillaged; and their sick laughter of amusement that followed these vile deeds.

Itachi himself was not a good man. He knew that. No matter what world he was in, his hands would forever be stained with blood. Whether it was the blood of the very family that raised him, or the blood of the many comrades he had harmed over the years to keep up the image of a traitor. But all the blood he spilled was for the greater good of protecting the peace in Konoha.

Now, he was no longer in Konoha. He was no longer even within the Elemental Nations. He was in an unknown world, given a second chance to live the life he never had. But even this world was burning due to the dark flames of war and evil deeds.

He removed a kunai from his back pouch, staring deeply into the reflection. His Sharingan came to life, morphing into the Mangekyou.

Itachi watched as the shuriken design spun idly. It was a reminder for him; a reminder of his own dark past and the sacrifices he had made for his village.

But his eye would serve as a reminder of another thing. Of a new ambition. Of a new goal.

"The corrupt officials of the Empire are no longer salvageable as humans. They are consumed by darkness," he intoned, pocketing the kunai. He stared straight ahead, eyes boring into the wall, imagining the Empire before him.

"I am Uchiha Itachi, and I will do what I must to rid the world of evil."

Yes, he would do as he had always done. He would kill his heart for the sake of something far greater. Something that he wanted more than anything, despite the many sacrifices required along the path.

Peace.

For he was Uchiha Itachi, the blade in the night. A warrior of the highest caliber, and the harbinger of justice from darkness, bloody defender of the light.

**To Be Continued  
**

* * *

**Phew! This one definitely took a while! I had to write this chapter over a long period of time in extremely short intervals, simply because I had trouble deciding exactly what I wanted to do with this, and how I wanted to write it. But finally, it's done! The Esdeath scene was fun to write, simply because she's one of my favourite characters from Akame ga Kill. Also, to clear up any confusion, when I add italics for entire scenes, it's me indicating a flashback. It was a nice little tip that my beta gave me way back when, and I'm certainly liking it better than saying 'Flashback Start' and 'Flashback End'.  
**

**Anyway, as you just saw, Esdeath is marching on the North! She destroyed an outpost, leaving one man to send a message. Itachi has arrived in the capital of the North, and met with several people. He is intrigued by the Teigu, but by the end, focuses his attention on the Empire that created them, which he finds dark and evil. As for Itachi's little scene at the end...well, it's not really hard to see what he said, so I won't bother expanding on that. **

**I got an amazing response for this story, and I'm so glad that all of you like it! I'm hoping that I won't let you guys down and continue to meet your expectations, whatever they may be. **

**I got several questions, such as pairings. I won't be working on pairings much, though I do have ideas on a few people to pair Itachi with. I'll let you figure out who they might be. Also, as an extra note, this chapter was not properly edited by a professional beta reader; it was edited by me, and that means there will most likely be a bunch of errors that I still missed, despite the thrice over that I gave it.  
**

**Moving on, I do plan on continuing my other stories, though future updates for WSoFT will be held back until I can edit and add more content to earlier chapters of it. God knows how often I've stopped reading a story simply because the starting wasn't good, and with how it was my first story, the starting for it was especially bad. I intend to fix that. **

**Anyway, that's all for now! **

**HokagenoNaruto, out.**


	3. March of War

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Esdeath idly sat cross-legged in her tent, sipping at a cup of tea made for her by her servants. They consisted of the wives, children and other close family members of the soldiers who had either died in battle, or those that wished to keep their loved ones safe at the heart of her army. They were off limits to the soldiers, and she never gave them more than a fair share of work.

It had been a month since she had attacked the outpost and officially declared war on the North. Up until now, the progress of her army had been frustratingly slow. The Northern army had avoided strict contact with them on all occasions, using guerrilla warfare to wear away at her ranks and food supply. They set traps at every chance they got, blocked off open paths to force her to swerve around, and using ranged weaponry such as flaming arrows and debris to cause havoc among her campsites.

She had retaliated by ordering her soldiers to obliterate any village they came across and kill all the people in them. However, her opponents seemed to be one step ahead of her. Any village they neared had been left abandoned; some of the villages were even loaded with lethal traps, killing or injuring a fair number of her soldiers.

Not to mention, if her men ever encountered the opposing side, they were unable to capture enemy soldiers, provided they were not ambushed and slaughtered by enemies before hand. The soldiers of the North appeared to be extremely well disciplined, committing honourable suicide if the chance of capture seemed nigh, preventing her from gaining any information on Numa's possible stratagems.

Suffice to say, her progress had been greatly slowed by the numerous annoyances. Yet, despite this, she was nearing the capital of the North, where no doubt the infamous Hero of the North planned to confront her in battle.

She tightly gripped the handle of the rapier at her side, a slow smirk forming on her face from excitement.

"Numa Seika...perhaps you shall be the match I have been longing so dearly for?"

Before she could continue to ponder the coming battle, her tent flap burst open as one of her attendants urgently came inside, his face flustered with sweat and anticipation. "Milady, we have reports of having captured a lone soldier from the North!"

Esdeath immediately stood at the news, leaving her cup of tea on the ice table she had constructed- it was easier than carrying around wooden furniture for her to use.

"Excellent! Relay that I want the soldier brought to the torture tent immediately!"

The attendant nodded, rushing out immediately afterwards to carry forth the news. Esdeath herself casually strolled out of her tent, smiling to the soldiers who saluted her upon seeing her, and began her short trek to the torture tent.

A sadistic smile spread across her face, her eyes flashing with promises of pain and suffering.

"Finally, a person to keep me company for the lonely nights."

* * *

Numa frowned as he read over several reports, skimming to find and take in important details. The attacks against Esdeath's army was going better than Numa had initially expected, considering how fearsome she was considered to be. However, despite having maintained a flawless record of not having a single soldier captured by Esdeath, her army was still advancing.

They were making great progress in raising the defensive capabilities of the city, but Numa feared that it would do little to stop Esdeath. At their current rate, Esdeath's army would reach their doors with three weeks at best, a fortnight at worst; his current defensive plans would be done by then, he predicted.

They had defensive battlements, buckets of oil ready to be heated and thrown over the wall in the cause of a siege. There were numerous traps all across the inner city, which was abandoned by all citizens during the evacuation. All that remained were soldiers, who were being educated in the new layout of the city. The entire capital of the North had been transformed from a bustling center of commerce, to a live trap for any soldier not of the North, just waiting to be sprung.

"I need something to counter her. I could engage her myself, and potentially take her out to boost the morale of soldiers, but should she best me...I fear the will of the soldiers will be crushed," Numa thought, gripping the ink pen in his hand tightly, nearly snapping it. He frowned. "I need an ace."

But who could possibly fulfill that role? Idly, his thoughts drifted to Itachi, the stranger who had come in with the now Captain Segusa and his squadron. He had come to him a week after their initial meeting, requesting to take part in the war effort.

_Numa frowned questioningly as he beheld the stranger mercenary before him. "May I ask why you wish to suddenly join the war effort? The last time we spoke, you were keenly against it."_

_Itachi stayed in his kneeling position, thought he raised his head to answer. In a sombre tone, he spoke. "I have heard of the suffering of people at the hands of the Empire. While I do not wish to fight, I cannot simply allow this madness, on my honour as a warrior, to go on much longer. The least I can do is offer what little of my blade as I can in your war efforts."_

_In all honesty, this was the entire truth from Itachi's part. He didn't have to feign sorrow or create lies to explain his reasoning; all of it came from his personal desire and anger. _

_Numa, while still not completely trusting, nodded in response. If he had another fighter, then who was he to complain? He beckoned an attendant forward, quickly scribbling away at the piece of paper provided while Itachi knelt patiently. A minute later, he finished, going over it once, before nodding in satisfaction. He turned his attention back towards Itachi._

_"Rise, Uchiha Itachi, newly instated Private of the Royal Northern Army (RNA). You shall serve in the First Northern Battalion of the Third Division, under Captain Segusa to replace Corporal Hayabuto, who, as you know, was slain in battle. You have worked with his squadron before, so I expect you to adjust quickly. You are required to attend rudimentary drills with the civilian trainees, though you will be moved into more difficult training once your level of skill has been assessed. Any questions?" _

_Itachi shook his head, taking in the information that was given to him. While he truly did not require the training, it would certainly do well to learn the patterns of combat used by the Northerners. Teamwork was a key in large scale warfare, rather than individual efforts, per say. _

_"Good. I will have a proper uniform sent to you later today at your place of rest, along with the basic tactics booklet provided upon entrance into the army. You are to report to Training Camp Seven at 0700 sharp. The location will be provided to you among other short pamphlets. Dismissed!"_

_Itachi promptly stood and bowed, following by quickly seeing himself out. _

Numa didn't know why his thoughts drifted to the stranger. He had quickly shown to be far more skilled than the civilian militia he was training with, and was quickly moved up the ranks of the training camps to the levels of the elite soldiers. Yet, from personal observation of the elite training, as he usually saw, it almost seemed like the now Sergeant was holding back his skills. He completed the daily routines with relative ease, whereas the other soldiers would be sweating like pigs.

"I do not have time to ponder how strong you truly are, Uchiha Itachi, but I pray that you not hold back your strength in the coming battle," Numa mused idly, unaware he was under watch by the aforementioned person.

Itachi, or rather, a clone of himself who he left to observe Numa and incoming reports, heard this. Observing Numa from the beams of the ceiling which he used to conceal himself, the clone of Itachi discreetly dispelled himself, relaying the memories to his creator.

He was not aware of how strong Esdeath was, but from what he had learned, it was frightening. He would fight to the best of his ability while keeping his current allies alive, and Numa would have his ace. He just wouldn't know it.

* * *

Itachi paused mid swing of the tanto he had been able to take from a storehouse as his weapon of choice. It had been surprisingly well made, and it reminded Itachi of his former weapon from his time in ANBU.

Currently, he was going through the daily training routines with the other soldiers of his physical ability at the training camp they were required to attend 6 days a week, with one day allowed for rest. It was fairly light training, and he continued to work on his own chakra training off to the side to test exactly how much he could or could not do. He had an arsenal of jutsu available to him from his days wandering as a missing-ninja, though he preferred not to use them. Many were large scale or unnecessarily flashy, a stark contrast to the normally discreet Uchiha.

As he continued his drills as guided by the instructor, he gleamed over the information his clone had gathered from today. Usually his clones would wait until the end of the day to dispel, but for them to dispel mid-day meant that there was something mildly urgent to be brought to his attention. As he went over the information, he agreed.

'It seems that the guerrilla warfare tactics being employed can only hold off this Esdeath for so long. She will be here very soon, and Numa has yet to have a true method he knows of to counter her directly.'

While Numa was clearly beginning to suspect him from his vocalized thoughts, it was also shown that he would not pry for information. Esdeath was currently occupying too much of Numa's mind for him to care about a new soldier hiding his strength.

Itachi had come to respect Numa's wisdom and strength. He did not question the man's young age, he himself having been much wiser than his age. He had shown himself to be strong, both physically and mentally, along with displaying impressive tactics in what appeared to be a superior opponent.

Yet, for all his strength, Itachi's instincts told him that Esdeath would be on a whole different level than Numa. He predicted that Numa would be defeated should he engage her, which he seemed to have fortunately decided against for now.

As it seemed, Itachi would have to fight against Esdeath head on.

'I would be lying if I said that my body is not shaking in near anticipation,' he thought to himself, almost amused.

* * *

Esdeath entered the makeshift torture area, a light smile of false kindness and hidden malice plastered on her face. She found herself staring into two dark, feminine orbs, filled with enough hatred to make the average man die from the very shock of seeing it.

The prisoner before her had been stripped of her armour, which was laid out neatly on a table next to Esdeath. She was dressed in a simple black bodysuit, which stopped short of her neck, hands and feet. She was tied up by her hands, though her feet had also been restrained by chains close to the ground to prevent her from lashing out with kicks. There was no noticeable injury, though from the way she favoured her weight on her right leg, Esdeath reckoned that her left was injured, or possible broken during her attempts to prevent capture.

Esdeath strolled to her, circling her like a Danger Beast examining it's prey for the night. She completed her circle, and approached the table a short ways away from her prisoner. On it were various tools for torture, made to make even the trained and toughly conditioned elites of the Empire scream for mercy.

"Why don't we start simple?" Esdeath offered, her hand brushing over the tools, before she reluctantly left them. It wouldn't do to jump into the dismemberment so quickly in the process.

She pulled out her rapier, pressing it lightly into her prisoner's foot. "Why don't you tell me what Numa hopes to accomplish with these pitiful tactics, before I cut off a toe."

The woman before her merely glared, spitting in Esdeath's face.

Esdeath's mouth formed into a sickeningly sweet smile. She didn't bother wiping her face, merely applying some force into her repositioned rapier. "Wrong answer."

The woman let out a noticeable gasp at the sudden pain coming from her foot. Esdeath didn't need to bother looking down to know she had correctly carried out her threat.

Esdeath moved her rapier to the big toe of the woman's left foot, the smile still not leaving her face. "Now, same question. Why don't you tell me?"

She waited a grand total of two seconds without a response from the prisoner, before she sighed and lopped off the toe. Another gasp of pain followed, but yet again, there was no overly vocal reaction from the woman.

"You know, I really don't mind doing this for the next couple days," Esdeath informed her. "I just hope you can last that long."

The prisoner's mouth opened, catching Esdeath's eye. She gave her a wry and cheeky grin, before pointing her middle fingers at her as best as she could in her bound situation.

"How about you take that rapier of yours and shove it up your ass first, bitch?"

With a determined look on her face, the woman stuck out her tongue as much as she could. At first, Esdeath assumed it was something like the childish action performed by children. This opinion changed however, as she saw the woman begin exerting force with her jaw muscles as her face transformed into a mask of pain.

Esdeath's eyes widened as she realized what the woman was doing. She raised her hand to stop her, to freeze her in place before she could go any further. It was all for naught however, as while Esdeath managed to freeze the woman in place, a single small block of ice fell away from the main body. Within it was the frozen and self-severed tongue of the prisoner.

Her face was contorted in that mark of pain, but in her eyes, easily visible to anyone who bothered to look, was the twinkle of self-satisfaction.

Esdeath was silent for a while, seemingly shaking in rage to the prisoner, who could still see and view what was unfolding before her. However, to her surprise, Esdeath began chuckling. That chuckle soon turned into full blown laughter.

"Yes, this is perfect! Such loyalty! Such determination! This is a true warrior before me!"

It was a few minutes before Esdeath finally calmed down, waving her hand to free the woman trapped in ice. She left her mouth frozen, making sure to stop the bleeding to prevent the death of her first Northern prisoner.

"I must respect your loyalty to your country and commander," Esdeath told her as she cut away the black body suit the woman wore, with great care to make sure she didn't cut her skin. The prisoner shivered as the cool Northern air made contact with her naked form, the wisps of wind and chilliness tentatively slithering against most sensitive regions. "Unfortunately, I have great need of this information. Even though you have made it so that you will be unable to speak, you can still write."

Esdeath clapped her hands, an attendant rushing into the tent moments later, waiting for orders from Esdeath.

"Inform the men they have a new plaything," Esdeath told the attendant, cruelly enjoying the way the woman's eyes gained a look of shock and fright. "She is a trained soldier, along with having assets that will surely keep them busy for a few days. Be sure to inform them that she must, at all costs, not damage her hands and keep her alive to the point she retains motor function. Beyond that, tell them to do whatever they wish with her. It is of no concern to me. However, should she be willing to tell me of Numa's plans, then she is to be brought to me at once."

The attendant bowed, turning to leave and carry out his orders. "Milady."

Esdeath herself left, no longer caring for the state of the woman. It was her choice to bite off her tongue in an attempt to prevent revealing vital information. While respectable, Esdeath was not going to simple give up. Either way, it was her that won. If the woman broke, she would have information on Numa's tactics. If not, then it kept her soldiers happy and willing to fight and kill for her.

Esdeath, while a female herself, cared little for the difference between the bodies of men and women, along with the concepts of sexual desire. She had no need for it, and merely longed for battle and nothing more. The strong prevailed, and the weak were crushed underfoot.

The woman had been weaker, and was therefore about to be crushed, one way or another. It was to be expected, of course, for Esdeath was the strongest.

There was truly no one who could overcome her completely, despite whatever she hoped otherwise. Or was there?

* * *

_Two Weeks Later  
Capital of the North  
Center of the Capital  
_

Itachi stood uniformed, along with the rest of the members of his squad of twenty. Segusa stood at the head as one of the thirty squad captains which made up the entirety of the Royal Northern Army's First Northern Battalion of the Third Division.

Standing at a total of three thousand men strong, the Third Division was the smallest battalion of the RNA; they made up for the lack of numbers with each member being extremely skilled in teamwork, even though most were not the greatest combatants. It was a unique division because of this- the individual Battalions were divided further into squadrons of about twenty soldiers each, who would constantly train together and develop good cooperative ability. It was a completely support based division.

Esdeath's army had been spotted in the distance an hour ago, finally having arrived at the capital of the North. Numa had sounded a city wide alarm, the soldiers immediately rushing to their assigned posts, which Numa had planned weeks in advance. The Third Division, due to their unique method of division, had been assigned to remain near the center of the capital until the First and Fifth Divisions made contact; at that moment, they were to move in their squads to whichever areas of the battlefield needed most support. The Second and Fourth Divisions had been divided in half; half joined at the defense of the main gate; whereas the remaining half was sent out to circle around the enemy, in an attempt to pincer them in.

The crisp morning air bit into Itachi's face, urging him to break rank to get into warmth. However, his discipline, gained from years of being a shinobi, prevented him from breaking formation.

'She is finally here,' Itachi thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced over his squad-mates. 'When they fighting starts, I must do all I can to protect my current comrades and engage Esdeath before she is able to cause too much damage.'

_"For the Empire!" _

The shrill cry cut though Itachi's thoughts, as many more cries of war erupted from their enemy. He looked as he saw a grand chunk of ice form in mid air, easily thrice as large as the walls of the city.

He looked upon it with awe. "So this is the power of the Teigu which controls ice. The power of Esdeath."

As if moved by an invisible push, the large ball of ice and death flew towards the main gate of the Northern Capital, behind which the First and Fifth Divisions scrambled to move, lest they be crushed underfoot.

It was all for naught, as the ice landed, destroying the main gate and claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers within the Northern army as it buried them in ice that was hundreds of metres thick.

The horrible war, which Itachi despised so much, had begun.

* * *

_Esdeath's Command Tent, a Kilometer Away from the Capital of the North  
A Few Minutes Earlier  
_

Esdeath stood over a large rectangular table, upon which a roughly drawn map of the capital and it's surroundings was drawn. There wasn't much, as the Northerners had cleared away surrounding forestry as much as they could to create a large open battlefield, making it difficult for Esdeath to lay siege on the Main Gate without her receiving some losses.

"How annoying," she commented, though her voice sounded more like that of a predator, amused at it's prey's feeble attempts for survival.

"Ne, Esdeath-sama, you wouldn't mind if I lead the charge, would you?" An excited masculine voice came from across the table. "That's where all the fighting is, and I'd level up a lot!"

"Ha, Daidara, you'd only get yourself killed," another voice remarked, clearly attempting to rile the one who had spoken earlier.

Daidara was not pleased. "Oi, Nyau, at least I'm gonna do something instead of spend the entire battle creepily skinning the face off some person!"

"As if a muscle-head like you would understand art," Nyau said, sticking out his tongue, further enraging Daidara.

"Why you!"

Before Daidara could execute his attempt to strange Nyau, a final voice stopped him. "That is enough, Daidara, Nyau. We are in the presence of Esdeath-sama. Behave yourselves."

Esdeath smiled at all three of them. These were her three most loyal fighters, handpicked and trained by her personally to become killing machines of the highest caliber. She trusted them to destroy those she told them to, and follow her orders to their final breath. They were the Sanjushi, the Three Beasts.

"At ease. Daidara, you may lead the first charge, as you've requested. Nyau, you will be playing your music over the battlefield when I give the order. Liver, you shall protect Nyau, as he is weakest when using his Teigu. Is that understood?"

All three of her elites nodded as one, understanding their roles without question.

"Good," Esdeath said, strolling out of her tent. With a wave of her hand, she rose on an elevated platform of ice, overlooking ranks upon ranks of her army. Standing at five thousand men strong, she had no doubt that the Northern army currently dwarfed them.

She would have to fix that.

"Men! This is the moment you've all been waiting for! This is what you have trained for! Even if you die tonight, die a hero in battle, rather than a coward who runs!"

Her soldiers cried in approval, stomping their weapons and feet on the ground in approval. "Hooyah!"

_"For the Empire!"_

With a grand wave of her hand, she began forming a grand ball of ice in the sky. Within seconds it was ready, the awe on every soldier's face, even those who had seen it before, clear.

She shot her hand forward in a pushing motion, the great structure made of ice shooting forward at her command. Within seconds, it reach the gate of the North, easily destroying it.

Even at the large distance, she could hear the screams of pain and despair. Her army surged forward, running at high speeds to cover the distance and destroy the Capital of the North from the opening they had been given.

The glorious battle, which she longed and lived for, had begun.

**The End**

**I know, I know, you all wanted to see Itachi versus Esdeath. Believe me, I did too. However, it was too early to jump into the main fighting without having some quick background added to it :P Now, I know what happened in the anime. However, I'm gonna take some creative license to write exactly how this happened, as well as altering a few events here and there. Certain things will occur, though in a different way than implied for the manga. You'll understand when that happens. **

**So! Both sides are pretty much ready to clash, and Itachi has gotten a witness of some of Esdeath's abilities. Fear not, for Esdeath will be getting her taste of Itachi's very soon as well... that's pretty much all for the summary tbh.**

**There was some confusion over when I said pairings for Itachi. When I say I have some pairings in mind, it does not mean that I'm actually going to do them. I really cannot see the character of Itachi being romantically involved with anyone, especially in a serious manner of story as this is. I might add in touches of romance and fluff if enough people want it, though I probably won't if I don't feel comfortable writing it, otherwise I just would've feel like I wrote it my best. **

**Furthermore! You're all probably surprised with this quick update xD I admit, the five month thing really wasn't planned. The chapter did take me some time (two months, in fact), but the majority of the time was spent waiting for my beta to reply, and also being lazy to edit it myself, simply because it was such a long chapter. I'll pick up the update pace as much as I can, though school does take precedence over FF. **

**Anyway, that's all. Review! Reviews are the life of my writing. More reviews means I actually do get motivation to write faster! So Review!**

**HokagenoNaruto, out. **


	4. Blood Red Snow

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Among the many Northern defenders that lined the wall, it was their commander, Numa Seika himself, who was the first to break out of the collective shocked stupor, in an attempt to rally his troops.

"What are you all staring so dumbly for?!"

His powerful voice echoed over the all-consuming silence, and little by little, groups of soldiers reacted, putting the death of their brothers in arms in the backs of their minds. There was a time to mourn, but it was not now.

"Your fellow soldiers were killed because of the army charging before us this very moment!" Numa shouted, raising his trademark spear. He pumped his fist forward, his long hair swaying. "Archers, light your arrows! I want all the barrels of oil moved to the edges of the main gate wall! Aim at them, and fire at will! Channel the anger of those we have lost, and destroy them twice over!"

Slowly, but surely, the Northerners cried their approval. The archers did as ordered, whereas small packets of soldiers stationed on the wall rushed to bring the barrels of heated oil. The First and Fifth divisions, while having suffered a great loss, rushed to rally together from their scattered positions, running up the small mountain of snow and debris with practiced ease.

As the two armies met, and men fell left and right, there was only one thought on their minds.

To crush and hack apart their enemies with all their might.

* * *

Itachi ran forward the second ice hit the main gate, not waiting for his squad to react. He quickly made a clone to leave in his place, which went unnoticed by the gathered soldiers, as he sped off with great velocity, taking to the roofs.

As he neared the fallen gate, he heard Numa's voice crying out orders, rallying the stunned Northerners into action. 'Good, he is still alive. It will give the soldiers greater morale to fight.'

He bit his finger quickly, swiping it across a seal he had place on the back of his left palm. In a puff of smoke, a black cloak appeared in his hands, which he quickly put on. Alongside it was his former ANBU mask, which he hastily placed on his face to protect his identity, applying chakra to make it stick- it would not do for his face to be recognized among the Empire.

Arriving close to the wall, he leaped from the roof he stood on, landing on the wall. He quickly applied chakra to his feet, sticking to it and beginning his horizontal dash across towards the ruins of the main gate, where all the fighting was currently concentrated.

Reaching the edge, he noticed the entire Third Division charging towards the fight, their weapons drawn and raw determination on their faces. 'Good, they are not letting the shock affect them negatively.'

He reached the edge of the wrecked wall in a few seconds, the sounds of battle and death filling his ears. He closed his eyes, taking a sharp breath, and diving headfirst into the combat.

The second he landed, his eyes opened, the red iris and three dark tomoe of the Sharingan visible rather than the normal charcoal black. Even though no one could see them, as his tanto was drawn from his sheath, the enemy soldiers could feel it as they saw the hooded figure charge at them.

At first, they couldn't place their fingers on that strange feeling. But as the figure slid through their ranks, slashing and hacking at seemingly random times, they finally understood. With wounds bursting open at the seams all over their bodies at lethal points, the last thing they saw was a white mask, with red markings that made it appear like a weasel, and two dark holes which seemed to go on forever and ever.

And as if by some miracle, one collective thought ran through their heads as they died to describe the strange feeling that they had finally understood.

They had awakened the Angel of Death, who would not stop until it had slain every last man and woman that stood against it.

* * *

Numa rushed past archers as he ran towards the edge of the destroyed gate, preparing to leap in and support his soldiers. Instead, he saw a cloaked figure jump into the combat as he reached the edge of the wall. The figure immediately rushed into a large swath of enemies, cutting them down in moments of the fight starting.

He looked upon confusedly at the figure for a moment, having no clue who it was. However, he placed his wonder and curiosity at the bottom of his list of things to worry about, and instead chose to survey the battlefield.

The First and Fifth divisions, while having suffered a huge loss, had quickly rallied to scale the small mountain of ice and meet Esdeath's army outside the ruined entrance to the Northern Capital. He spotted the support squadrons of the Third Division frantically climbing up the same mountain to support their currently outnumbered and slowly retreating comrades. Finally, the Second and Fourth Divisions were slowly closing in from the side, though they would take some time to reach.

Men were falling left and right as archers fired arrow after arrow, though their rate of fire had drastically slowed since the meeting of the two armies. Attempts to scale the wall were stopped by his own soldiers, who knocked away large wooden ladders and took the lives of any fools who thought to attempt it. They had long since gone through their barrels of heated oil, which were dropped promptly on the charging enemies.

"I must assist them," Numa said, scowling. He would not wait for Esdeath to charge into battle. He needed to enter the fight, and enter it now!

Spotting another wooden ladder being thrown against the wall near his position, he stopped his soldiers from taking it down. Instead, he placed a hand on the edge of the wall, hopping onto it. Gripping the ladder tightly in his left hand, he made use of his legs to gently push off the wall, causing the rickety ladder to begin falling over. With his spear clutched in his right hand, Numa rode the ladder down, hastily jumping off as he neared the ground.

He immediately landed near two enemy soldiers, and using brutal proficiency, he swung his spear, taking off their heads before they had even registered who they were facing.

"Northerners!" He cried over the sounds of combat.

_"To me!"_

His cry was heard by his men as they fought with renewed vigour, attempting to rally with their leader, suddenly and sharply pushing back Esdeath's army.

Numa himself was not entirely helpless either, however. Spinning his spear in his right hand, he twirled and ducked under various weaponry, blocking others with the heavy metal shaft of his spear.

None of his speedy movements were wasted, as with each flick of his spear, he sent another enemy to their grave, becoming an almost literal cyclone of death which ripped apart any who stepped too close. No matter how or what they tried, the soldiers of the Empire were stopped firm in their tracks, usually missing a limb or two for their efforts.

Suddenly, an axe flew towards him, and though its shape was unique, Numa paid it no mind as he casually ducked, the axe shooting off. As he turned, he faced another similarly thrown axe, once again ducking to avoid injury.

He lunged forward at a charging soldier, skewering him on his spear. He pulled his spear in the direction of another charging group of soldiers, hopping off the ground and kicking the body off his spear and in their direction, knocking them over.

"That's enough, you guys!" A loud voice shouted. "I'll take him from here! I'm gonna level up a bunch!"

Numa turned to face the direction of the voice. He noticed a man standing there, with murky blond hair and pupil-less white eyes, a headdress reminiscent of an animal's horns on his head. He wore an extravagant black trench coat, which was left open to expose a white shirt, slightly opened at the collar. He wore matching black pants, along with dark and heavy appearing boots.

"You know, Esdeath-sama is gonna be super pissed, but I can't just let you keep slaughtering my comrades like this," he said with a large grin on his face.

He raised both hands from his sides, spreading them like the wings of a bird. With his palms open, as if ready to catch something, he said, "Try not to die too quickly."

Warning bells rang inside Numa's head as he heard an odd whistling sound cut through the air. He jerked his head to look behind him, seeing both axes that he had dodged earlier circling to cut his head off.

With a wild movement, he raised his spear, spinning in a circular motion and blocking both axes. He quickly regained his balance, seeing both axes calmly fly back into the receiving hands of a grinning Daidara.

"Oh yeah, me and my Teigu, Belvaac, are really gonna get stronger after this fight!"

* * *

Esdeath's keen vision ran over the battlefield as she stood perched on her small tower of ice. The Northerners had managed to break out of their stupor faster than she had estimated they would, and instead of the fighting being within the city, it was taken to outside the walls. While not entirely favourable, it would not make much of a difference. She saw how her army was slowly pushing back the North, having outnumbered them.

However, she witnessed a small figure glide into battle on a ladder, whose features matched the description of Numa Seika. Almost immediately, the Northern army pushed with renewed force, as more of their comrades joined them from within the city.

She stood from her makeshift throne of ice, preparing to engage Numa herself, when something caught her peripheral vision. She turned her head to the right, seeing more soldiers from the North flooding in to pincer her men.

She frowned. "It would not do to allow my soldiers to be caught so precariously."

As much as she wished to engage Numa herself, she knew that she had to stop the incoming forces. Besides, she had just seen Daidara's Teigu flying towards Numa. She would let him handle it. "Oh well. I suppose an entire army will be more entertaining than a single man."

She knelt, placing her left hand on the cool ice beneath her. Almost instantly, she shot forward on an ever growing platform of ice, soaring through the sky towards the approaching segment of the RNA.

Arriving at the location, she directed her growing platform towards the snow-covered ground, hearing cries of surprise and shock as they soldiers recognized her.

"It's her! Esdeath!"

She casually stepped off her icy platform, the ice behind her disappearing as if it had never existed. Drawing her rapier, she stabbed it into the ground. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to go any further."

In an instant, she allowed her powers to burst forth. Ice erupted from both sides of her, encircling the army of almost four thousand soldiers, more than enough to tip the scales in the favour of the North. She molded it with mere concentrated thought, shaping the ice into an arena of sorts, with walls so high and so slippery that no man could scale or break them.

She glanced upon the ranks and ranks of men within her makeshift ice prison. Slowly, a slow smile spread across her face. If she could not have one strong opponent, then she would rely on thousands of weak ones to satisfy her hunger for now.

"Fight, little soldiers of the North. Struggle, for that will make this meal all the more satisfying."

* * *

Itachi continued to hack and slash his way through legions of soldiers, pausing momentarily for breath. His tanto was soaked in blood, but at this time, he would not be able to stop. For if he stopped, he would be allowing an even greater evil than the one he was committing to befall the innocent and courageous men and women of the North.

Swiftly blocking a sword swing meant to bisect him from crotch to mouth, he smoothly released the kunai hidden up his left sleeve. In a flash, the man holding the blade let it drop as his hands shot up in a futile attempt to stop the spurts of blood from his throat.

As he gently pushed the body so that it would not fall onto him, Itachi heard a soft tune playing through the air. He felt a sudden weakness come over his body, feeling lightheaded and nauseous all of a sudden.

'This is...Genjutsu?'

Closing his eyes, Itachi ignored the urge to keen over and vomit; instead, he flared his chakra, immediately breaking free of whatever affliction had come over him.

Looking around, he saw Northerners soldiers doing exactly what he had felt like doing. However, their actions were stopped, as their enemies, seemingly stronger than ever, quickly took advantage of the situation.

He frowned. 'That was Genjutsu. Not too strong, but enough to make a grown civilian man kneel.'

Yet, he knew for a fact that there was no chakra usage in this country. Nor were there ninja. Realization dawned on him; it appeared that his first encounter with a Teigu was to be sooner than later.

Itachi flared his chakra again as he felt a new feeling of sleepiness creepy up on his mind. He frowned in annoyance, before blurring through hand seals. He was not one to step up to competition, but in this case, he would fight fire with Amaterasu, so to speak. He had been meaning to save up every last bit of chakra for his eventual clash with Esdeath, but he supposed that a little expended on a Genjutsu to save his temporary allies would be beneficial.

**"Magen: Jigoku Kouka no Jutsu."**

His chakra easily blanketed over the area where he noticed Northern soldiers affected, and then some. Within seconds, the soldiers of the Empire slowly looked towards the sky, "seeing" a gargantuan ball of fire coming down upon them. When it "hit", some dropped to the ground, attempting to douse the unending flames. Others ran, fleeing the vicinity immediately, causing the "fire" to grow even stronger.

He glanced around. With enemy soldiers dropping like flies, it would be a lot easier to locate the person who had put the Genjutsu in place. They would have to be somewhere nearby, just like him.

It didn't take long. He spotted to distinct figures a few hundred meters from him. They wore similar clothing, though in terms of appearance, they were vastly different. One appeared to be tall, with long white hair pulled back into a pony tail, a large bang framing his left eye. The shorter figure had light, curly blond hair which cut off at his neck. He held what appeared to be a flute to his mouth, constantly playing it.

'It appears the small one is the user of the Genjutsu. He is able to counter my current Genjutsu, no matter that it is merely a C-rank. The man beside him doesn't not appear to have any discernible unique weaponry, though their uniforms indicate that both are something important to the enemy. A black ops unit, perhaps?'

Whatever they may be, it was clear to Itachi was his current duty was- to eliminate them. Dashing forward, he shot the kunai in his left hand at the flute-wielding figure with perfected accuracy. However, before it could hit, it was blocked by the sword of the taller figure beside him.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. The shorter one had not bothered to move, as if he knew he was protected. 'It appears as if I must take out the bodyguard before I get to the Teigu user.'

When he neared, he noticed the large man open his mouth. "Are you the man who caused our soldiers to behave so strangely?"

Itachi remained silent, merely dashing to the man, his tanto held in a backwards grip. He attacked with an overhead slash, which was blocked by the man's own sword.

"You're not one to talk, I see. Respectable indeed," the man said to him, immediately throwing a knee up to Itachi's lowered head.

In a display of agility and grace, Itachi put his free left hand to intercept the knee, pushing off of it and flipping backwards over the man. The man, bewildered by the speed behind the move, was hesitant to turn in the eyes of a shinobi. He expected to see Itachi charging at him for another assault, but was surprised to see him charging straight for Nyau.

Liver cursed. He through his hand out, converting the snow and ice around him into it's liquid form, sending a sharp spike of water to intercept Itachi. If Nyau's spell was broken, then they would have nothing to counter this strange warrior's own obvious illusions.

Itachi saw the spike coming out of the corner of his eye; tossing a quick shuriken back towards Liver, he easily jumped back to avoid the attack. This time, Liver was not slow to react, and dashed to place himself between Nyau and Itachi, effectively dodging Itachi's shuriken.

"You will not be able to kill Nyau while I am protecting him," Liver announced confidently, his sword held in a loose defensive stance in front of him. He swirled his free hand, conjuring a large serpent of water from the solidified water around him. It hovered close to him, ready to snap at anything that came near him.

Itachi frowned. 'The one with the flute is able to block off my normal Genjutsu, but I wonder if he can block those cast by my Sharingan?'

He dashed towards Liver again, who merely gestured with a finger to send his artificial serpent forward at shocking speeds, directly into Itachi's path.

However, Itachi did not allow that to deter him from his course. Just as the serpent was about to engulf him completely, he leaped up, landing on it's body. Manipulating chakra to his feet to prevent from falling through from muscle memory alone, Itachi sped forward to Liver, his kunai flying out in a slash towards Liver's abdomen.

It was blocked, as he expected. Pushing against Liver's blade, he made sure that their weapons were locked, as Liver pushed back, to prevent from being overpowered.

Liver struggled against the man. He was mildly shocked that the man had been able to not only avoid his attack, but also to stand and run over it as if it were solid ground. This man was strong. Surely he could do so much better with his skills, such as serve his Lady Esdeath?

That was where Liver made his first, and also last, mistake against Uchiha Itachi.

Looking him directly in the eye, he moved to try and convince the man to join their cause. Rather, he found himself enraptured by the unique red eyes before him. The three black tomoe spun lazily, hypnotizing him, placing him in a day dream of days long past.

_He saw himself growing up as a little child._

_Learning to fight. _

_Passing the exam to be inducted as an official soldier of the Empire. _

_His first mission. _

_His advancement through the ranks. _

_The many nights spent in the tender and loving embrace of women; civilian, military and whore alike. _

_His promotion to a General._

_Fighting side by side with the man he considered his brother and friend, Bulat. _

_Betraying the Empire. _

_Locked away in a cage. Cracked. Beaten. But not destroyed._

_His new master, Esdeath, smiling down at him as he raised his head to restored glory. _

_Serving under her. Living for her. **Loving her.** For she was the only reason that his existence mattered any longer._

_His comrades. The new men who served under him. The bonds he created, despite his unwillingness to act on them._

Liver didn't even feel it as Itachi's kunai was dragged across his throat. Though, lost in his memories as he was, Liver felt a strange pang of sadness, a lone tear making its way down his face.

He had failed his master.

* * *

Numa blocked blow after blow from his opponent, who laughed gleefully as he repeatedly threw his axes to him, pinning him in one place due to the sheer speed and force behind each throw.

"Now this is fun! I hope Esdeath-sama won't be mad at me for taking you all for myself!"

Numa grit his teeth, his spear blurring as he spun it left, right and center, desperately trying to stop the continuous barrage of attacks from dismembering him. It was as if his opponent had an endless supply of axes to throw at him, rather than the two that rotated back and forth as he blocked and parrying.

'I must break free of this cycle!' Numa thought, blocking another attempt to sever his head. Between blocks, he surveyed his surroundings, trying to find places for him to flee. There were none.

"If I cannot run away from you...then allow me to run to you!"

Numa blocked one more axe, then, almost instantaneously, burst off the ground at top speed to the right. He began to make a wide curve towards Deidara, his legs a blur as he ran and leaped over fallen warriors and weapons.

Daidara only grinned in response, his two axes now in his hands. "Finally! I thought you would never break out!"

Daidara himself charged forward, his large body heaving as he moved. For his frame, he was fast, though he could not hope to compare to the much nimbler Numa.

Within seconds, they were in the reach of one another, their weapons swinging. Deidara threw his right hand out in a wide slash, which was easily blocked by Numa's spear.

"You're good!" Daidara cried, a mad grin on his face as his left hand came down in an overhead swipe. "But I'm better!"

Numa cursed, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid bisection. His arms were sore from constantly blocking axes and also from the immense strength behind Daidara's blows.

He narrowed his eyes. 'I cannot afford to continue fighting him head on.'

Before he could come up with a decisive course of action, Daidara charged forward, this time taking the different approach of combining both axes back into one, swinging them from the side. Numa's eyes widened as he quickly leaned back, the sheer amount of force producing almost enough wind to knock Numa onto his back.

However, he was not without skills. As he fell backwards, he pushed off the ground, performing a near perfect backflip. He readjusted his spear, thrusting it forward to impale Daidara's skull, who barely managed to move to avoid the brunt of the damage.

Daidara grinned, feeling a slight throb from his left cheek. He reached up to trace the cut, his Imperial Arms easily held in his left hand.

"You're not half bad!" He complimented Numa, once more separating his grand axe into the two separate parts. He threw the axe in his left hand to the side, charging to cover the distance between himself and Numa within seconds, his right hand coming up to uppercut Numa's brain off.

He reacted as fast as he could, throwing his body backwards to avoid the devastating blow, almost causing him to lose his balance. Numa stabbed his spear into the ground to stabilize himself, before using it as a makeshift polearm to leap off the ground the lock Daidara's outstretched arm in a leg lock, knocking his axe out of his hand in the process.

Daidara attempted to shake him off, which proved to be useless as Numa merely tightened his grip further. "You're really damn annoying, you know that?"

Numa didn't say anything, instead choosing to use his energy to apply pressure on the elbow joint, his aim to break it. Daidara struggled against him, his arm fighting against the pressure. He reached over with his free arm, attempting to pry Numa off of himself. However, Numa held on, his grip as strong as steel.

At first glance, it seemed absurd that Daidara was unable to remove the much smaller Numa from his form. His massive arms strained, held back by Numa's equally powerful legs.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air, causing Numa to turn and see Daidara's second axe soaring back to them, cutting through friend and foe alike if they were unable to get out of the way fast enough.

'I need to hurry up, otherwise I'll be caught!'

Numa shouted incoherently, straining his legs to their very limits against Daidara's monstrous strength as the axe closed the distance within seconds. His legs felt like they were on fire, the constant output of strength making the muscles feel like they were on the constant verge of cramping.

Just as Daidara reached up to grab his axe, Numa gained the upper hand that he desperately needed to break their stalemate from the large man's brief lack of concentration. He yelled a massive war cry, urging near all of his remaining strength into his legs.

With a brutal snap and crunch, Daidara's left elbow broke just as he was raising his axe to maim Numa, the fabric of his coat tearing apart of the broken bone pierced through skin and muscle alike, jutting out of his arm altogether.

Daidara let loose a shout in surprise and pain, dropping the second half of his Teigu instantly as he went to clutch at his right arm, falling to his knees from the immense and sudden pain. He slowly raised his head to balefully glare at Numa through gritted teeth, but was instead introduced to the sole of Numa's spiked boot, the force of the blow lifting him off the ground momentarily and laying him flat on his back once he landed a few feet away.

Numa dropped to a knee, the adrenaline of the battle slowly fading away to bring him sharp throngs of pain, which pinched at all the muscles in his legs, making him feel like they were made of jello, rather than complex combinations cells that formed the tissue.

Using his trusted spear again, just slowly raised himself, the weapon acting as a cane to assist him in walking while he legs slowly regained feeling. The battle had not been very long, but had been extremely exhausting. He made his way over to Daidara at a snail's pace, and despite the short distance between them, each throb of pain when he stepped stretched the distance further and further.

Upon reaching the man, he grimaced. This was by far the most brutal death that had occurred by his hands, but despite the extent of injuries caused, he could feel no pity for this man, a clear supporter of his enemy Esdeath.

The entire left side of his face was bleeding from the multiple holes caused by his spikes of Numa's boots, while his nose bent sharply to the left, clearly broken. His right eye was all but destroyed, near unrecognizable in the mess of pale white tissue and red blood mixing together to form a pinkish substance. The bones of his elbow jutted out from his body, along with ripped strands of skin and muscle.

Yet, despite this, the grin never left Daidara's face, even as he slowly neared death.

He painstakingly turned his head, seeing Numa above him, positioning his spear to sever his neck.

"Y-you...won't...e-ever...d-d-defea-"

Daidara's voice was abruptly silenced as Numa pressed down on his spear, severing Daidara's head from his body.

_Esdeath-sama!_

Numa sighed, leaning against his spear as the final trails of life fluid gushed from the severed carotid arteries in his neck. He just wanted to fall down. To lie down and go to sleep. To rest. To do anything but fight in the hell he was currently in.

Hearing an abrupt movement from behind him, Numa turned as quickly as he could to see a claymore aimed to bisect him vertically. Unfortunately, or fortunately, in his quick need to turn, Numa turned and stumbled over Daidara's headless corpse, landing flat on his back with a pained groan.

He looked up to see the enemy soldier ready his claymore once more. However, before Numa even had a chance to ready a weak defense with his spear, the man suddenly screamed in horror, looking up towards the sky as if the world itself was falling apart. He ran away, throwing his claymore away, screaming all the way.

Numa blinked, the strange occurrence shocking him. He slowly got up, looking around to see enemy soldiers doing similar actions as the soldier that had been just before him.

"Numa-sama!"

Numa turned towards the voice, recognizing it as one of his own men. An entire squad of them, in fact.

He smiled tiredly at them, attempting to walk towards them. Instead, he fell flat on his face, the muscles in his legs too weak to support the sudden weight. His men rushed towards him, the squad captain screaming orders to retrieve him and bring Numa back to safety to heal.

As they carried him off, he saw the giant ice arena that he hadn't noticed earlier. And, not a second later, he saw it enveloped in black flames, their hot darkness consuming the cold sheets of ice within seconds.

He didn't know what the strange force was, but he prayed that it would save his soldiers from the North.

* * *

The ice arena that had suddenly come up caught Itachi's eye. 'It must be Esdeath. Only she could have created such a structure.'

He frowned as Nyau laughed upon noticing his gaze and confirmed his doubts. "I don't know what poor fools Lady Esdeath brought in there, but they're definitely done for!"

Itachi didn't bother to wait for Nyau to say anything else before he charged him, immediately throwing out a kunai to test his opponent. Surprisingly enough, it was blocked by the flute he carried.

'It must be made or reinforced with metal,' he inferred, jumping into the air as he neared Nyau, spinning vertically in the air as he dropped back down with his right leg extended in a axe kick.

"Woah!" Nyau exclaimed in surprise, literally throwing himself backwards to avoid the kick that would've at the very least knocked him unconscious. "I still can't believe you beat Liver, but for now, I'll kick your ass and take your face to avenge him!"

Nyau brought his flute to his lips, attempting to play a tune to control Itachi, only to find that he had disappeared.

"I don't have time to waste on you," Itachi's voice came from behind Nyau.

He whirled around, trying to jump back at the same time, only to catch a roundhouse kick to his face for his efforts. He flew back, but Itachi was already there via **Shunshin**.

He slid down to meet Nyau, shooting his leg up and kicking Nyau into the air. Itachi was quick to follow, leaping into the air right behind Nyau, sending a barrage of mid-air punches and kicks as he knocked him further and further up.

At about twenty feet in the air, Itachi finally stopped his assault. Feeling gravity take a hold of him, he pushed off Nyau, sending him plummeting towards the ground as Itachi righted himself.

Nyau crashed into the ground, crying out in pain as his back took the full brunt of the impact. Itachi was not done however, as he compacted himself into a ball as he finally fell down towards the immobile Nyau, who attempted to roll out of the way of the obvious attack.

He was unsuccessful, as Itachi extended his legs in the direction of Nyau's roll, once more catching him on his back and causing him to bend at a near impossible angle. The subtle crack that followed let Itachi know that he had just broke Nyau's spine from the focused point of impact.

Itachi stood up slowly, letting his knees recover from the fall. He ignored Nyau's pained groans, already knowing he was near dead anyway. Even if he managed to not be killed or captured by some passing soldiers, all of which had cleared the area due to the illusions, he would not be of much threat in the future.

As he walked by him, Itachi's noted the flute clutched in Nyau's hand. Frowning, he picked it up, prying apart Nyau's tight grip on it despite his now unconscious state.

'Would this be one of the Teigu?'

He didn't think too much about it, the arena made of ice warranting greater attention at the moment, which had no doubt trapped the portion of the Northern army sent to flank the Empire.

He sealed the flute away using the seal on his wrist, quickly breaking out into a run to reach the cage as soon as possible. While he couldn't exactly sense any large amounts of chakra from the dome, he could definitely sense the sheer amount of power in it.

* * *

Esdeath could only laugh joyously as she dodged, ducked, hacked and slashed at the waves and waves of enemies attempting to kill her. With a flick of her wrist, she sent an entire squad flying away, each man with a spear of ice stabbed directly through him.

With another, she froze a giant claymore that had been swung in an attempt to bisect her vertically, shattering it with another flick of her wrist; she was amused as she looked at the face of the man as he stumbled, looking at the bladeless sword-handle in his hands.

Raising her steel-heeled boot, she brought it down on the man, instantly breaking through his skull and sending bloody bits of brain and bone flying everywhere in a small radius around him. The blood showered her; it made her feel so alive. It made her feel so strong.

Yet...that made her feel sadness. It was a foreign emotion to Esdeath. She didn't feel anything. Yet, when it came to battle, she could feel anything; the happiness as each swing of her blade met flesh; the sadness when someone failed to provide her with an adequate fight; the hatred her enemies felt for her.

All of her emotions and feelings revolved around the concept of battle. She was born in it. To her dismay, it seemed like she would not be able to die in it, lest she challenged the entire Empire itself.

A massive explosion ripped her from her thoughts, her instincts causing her body to jump out of the way on its own. The same instincts caused her to automatically raise her sword, blocking a small dagger that her assailant wielded.

She struggled against him, putting more strength behind her arms as they both leaped away from each other once more.

She examined her assailant; a cloak covered his body, leaving only his face revealed. Two black bangs framed his face at the rest of his body, with definite stress lines down his eyes.

And it was his eyes that intrigued her the most, nevermind the faded trail of blood that flowed from his left eye. They were filled with a subtle power; a power that aroused her interest, her curiosity, her body. However, it was veiled by something else; experience.

They were the eyes of a person who was raised in battle; the eyes of someone baptized in blood. Those eyes looked at her, darting over her form, creating patterns of attack, analyzing methods of defense.

But then something else happened to interest her further; the charcoal black slowly bled into a bright red, his pupil splitting into three tomoes. The tomoes spun idly, before converging back to the center of his eye, merging.

They expanded once more, this time in the shape of what she recognized to be a three-bladed shuriken, a weapon she had seen at times in the training of the Empire's greatest assassins.

As they bore into her, she realized why those eyes interested her so much.

They were her eyes; so similar, yet so different.

* * *

Itachi stood before the massive construct, created by Esdeath's Teigu. He frowned as he raised a fist to the ice, knocking on it; the wall would not be easy to break.

Rapidly flashing through handseals, he raised his right hand to his mouth.

**"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" **

The massive fireball flew out, colliding with the ice; what would have normally melted it away merely deflected off the powerful barrier.

Itachi's frown merely deepened; it was time for plan B. He raised a single leg, channeling chakra into it; it didn't stick.

'The concentration of energy is too deep. It's disrupting my chakra flow.'

It was time for plan C, something he hadn't wanted to use unless necessary; however, as he began to focus chakra to his eyes in the familiar manner, the screams and cries from within the arena became all the more clear.

His Sharingan became the all too familiar form of the Mangekyou. However, he wasn't done yet. He closed his eyes in concentration, sending more and more chakra from his eyes.

Slowly, the sheer pressure and stress being placed on his eyes formed a bloody tear. It gathered more substance, slowly losing cohesion and beginning to flow down his face.

His left eye shot open, forming the flames of Amaterasu. However, he knew he didn't have the time to let them burn through eventually.

Rather than letting them flow, he condensed them into a ball. His eye narrowed suddenly as the ball condensed tighter, becoming smaller from the size of a basketball to a penny.

His right eye, formerly closed, shot open to finalize the jutsu.

**"Enton: Bakudan."**

The explosion shot forward, consuming the arena of ice in black flames.

* * *

Esdeath stared at her opponent, examining him just a hard as he examined her. She tried to get a feel for how he might fight, yet his posture gave nothing away. His posture was casual, yet it seemed as if he was ready to spring into action.

She tilted her head quickly as he suddenly shifted, a kunai flying past her face. The speed of the throw had surprised her, yet it seemed that he failed to scratch her; another hopeful opponent to have failed her expectations. Or so it seemed.

Something wet trickled down her cheek, to which she raised a hand. It was blood.

She blinked in surprise. "Blood."

The man remained silent to her statement, tilting his head curiously.

"I haven't had someone make me bleed so fast. I wonder if I will bleed again?" She asked rhetorically.

He merely grabbed the collar of his cloak, pulling it off in a quick swipe. It began to descend to the ground slowly. The second it touched the ground, Itachi burst forward, his tanto replacing the kunai he had thrown at Esdeath.

As it clanged with her own sword, his deep voice rang out.

"You will."

**The End**

* * *

**Aaaaaaaannnnddd...Cut! Next up is gonna be the fight between Itachi and Esdeath. I could've included it in this chapter, but you guys would've had to wait a lot longer to read something. So, I got the smaller (but still important), fights out of the way first.  
**

**That's all for now. I'll make edits later.**

**HokagenoNaruto, out. **


	5. Battle of Legends

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

As Itachi exchanged strikes with Esdeath, he idly noted the men who were still alive rapidly escaping through the opening he had made in the arena; unfortunately, the bodies of those who had perished would not be removed until a later date, assuming they even remained as they were in the following skirmish. Having seen Esdeath's ability to create ice in the form of the arena, he knew the battle would surely destroy much of their current setting.

Esdeath ducked under a swipe of Itachi's tanto, bracing her legs. With a great push, she leaped straight at Itachi, stabbing her sword right through his chest. With a bloody cough, he fell to his knees, the sword still impaled through him.

"What a shame," she muttered sadly. She had been certain he would last through the testing phase of the fight, where both fighters attempted to grow used to the others fighting style.

However, as she ripped her sword free to behead him, Itachi threw his body forward, clutching at her legs.

**"Bunshin Daibakuha."**

Esdeath's eyes widened as 'Itachi' imploded on himself. Her powerful legs flexed, pushing herself away from him. At the same time, the powers granted to her by her Teigu burst forth, creating a roughly barrier of ice between herself and the attack.

She sucked in an excited breath as the explosion consumed the ice, burning her legs lightly, the flames whispering around them as they dared to reach higher, only to be stopped by ice that erupted form her body at the last minute.

However, her struggle to escape was not yet finished. Instincts and danger senses kicked in as she heard a light whistling in the air behind her.

Whirling around, her sword already raised, she blocked the the first shuriken aimed at her, diving sharply to the right in a front flip to dodge the rest.

She straightened herself sharply, keen eyes narrowing on the form of her opponent, who charged at her once more.

With a grin, she followed, meeting him slightly before half way. Her sword flashed out to meet his, but shockingly, passed straight through the tanto and Itachi as if he was not there.

'An illusion?'

She spun around, sensing him behind her, only to see nothing. It was as if her very senses betrayed her.

"It appears you have placed me in an illusion of some sort," she said, her sword still in a ready position. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and cut off all connection she had to the world around her. If her senses would not reveal the truth, her battle instincts would.

Feeling them cry out to her, Esdeath ducked, narrowly avoiding Itachi's blade. She retaliated immediately, slashing at where she assumed his legs would be. Feeling a nick, she felt some sort of power leaving her.

Cautiously, she reopened her eyes, seeing Itachi before her, a light trickle of blood blood flowing down his right leg from a cut just below his knee cap.

A slow smile spread across her face as she surveyed her opponent. "Such strength, such speed. Not to mention, the ability to create illusions, and somehow break through my strongest ice. Tell me, warrior, what is your name?"

Itachi merely shook his head, bringing his hands together to flash through hand seals. Her ability to fight while under illusion hadn't been too surprising, but the fact that she had subconsciously extended her rapier to take off his legs below the knees had. Without his Sharingan reading the movement, he had no doubt he would not have gotten off with a mere scratch.

"My name is off no concern to you," he intoned, his chakra molding to form his jutsu.

**"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"**

Multiple basketball sized fireballs flew from his mouth, all targeted at Esdeath. Unlike before, she didn't dodge. Rather, with a mere flick of her wrist, she created a wall of ice to block the fire, leaving only her face exposed.

'Fire too,' she thought to herself, amazed at this strange warrior's multitude of abilities.

"Suit yourself," she replied, the wall before her falling apart. "I merely wanted to know the name that I would place on your gravestone when I bury a warrior as wonderful as yourself."

This time, it was Itachi's turn to be on the defensive. He dodged left and right as Esdeath shot sharp icicles at him, each about the size of her sword. He frowned as he remembered her wall of ice. Conjuring a wall of earth would have certainly been simpler than dodging, but he didn't have the chakra to waste; his reserves were vast, but compared to the amounts his techniques required, they might as well have been the size of a Genin.

'I need every last drop that I have for when the fight becomes truly serious.'

Priming an explosive tag and attaching it to a shuriken in single quick, practiced motion, he threw it at Esdeath.

She dodged hastily, not wanting to be stabbed between the eyes by the sharp weapon. However, she was not prepared for the sudden explosion that followed, which sent her flying into a rock.

She righted herself just before impact, her legs bending instantly when they made contact with her hard stone to absorb the shock. She pushed off it, propelling herself straight to Itachi.

Their swords made contact once more as he raised it to stop her overhead swing. This time, however, rather than keeping up the classic swordfight, Esdeath channeled her powers through her blade, encasing Itachi's sword in ice.

With a sharp turn of her heel, she spun around, throwing her leg out in a back kick. Reading the attack long before it even came, Itachi jumped over it, swinging the now ice-encased sword at her leg.

He frowned as it shattered immediately, doing next to no damage to her. She laughed as she righted herself.

"You did not truly my own ice would hurt me, did you?"

Itachi didn't deem it necessary to reply to her, instead choosing to act quick due to his lack of proper sword. His hand flashed out, seemingly glazing over her sword as he applied an explosive tag to it.

Esdeath, who had quickly figured out that the tag was similar to the one before, decided to throw her sword at the retreating figure of Itachi.

He merely dove forward, ducking under the blade, and at the same time, kicking it by the handle straight back to Esdeath.

Unfortunately, the explosion went off long before her rapier made it back to her, kicking up snow, ice and dust as it created a veil that prevented them from seeing one another.

That was fine with Esdeath, who merely rocketed forward to the other side of the explosion on an expanding platform of ice, riding it much like one would ride a surfboard. She easily blazed past the smoke, only to find Itachi ready for her.

He ducked to the left as her ice platform passed by him harmlessly, then quickly jumped onto it as Esdeath focused on creating spikes to ice to impale Itachi from the ground.

She immediately stopped moving her platform, allowing it to stay in place as she and Itachi exchanged blows, attempting to gain the upperhand; she was more lithe than Itachi, and possessed a certain speed in her movements. However, at the same time, his Sharingan allowed him to easily keep up with the fast attacks that came from all directions.

As they were locked in their struggle, the same thought went through their heads.

'I need to break this!'

With a yell, Esdeath used Itachi's body as a spring to push herself away from him, landing on the ground a ways away. Her palms were instantly slammed into the ground, the powers granted by her Teigu being stretched to their maximum, her offensive erupting forth just as Itachi readied his own.

**"Aisu Doragon!"**

**"Amaterasu!" **

A grand dragon of ice burst from the ground just before Esdeath, colliding headfirst with the black flames of hell contained within Itachi's left eye. The dragon pushed against the flames as more and more of its body attempted to burst free from the ground, the close proximity of both fighters making it difficult for both attacks to truly run free.

The dark flames emptied out of his eye in a near constant stream, as more and more output was required to burn away the serpent. At the same time, Esdeath strained her Teigu to the maximum, creating, condensing, and moving ice into the body of her attack as she struggled to overpower the flames; they were stuck once more, only in an even more troublesome form of combat.

Finally, the combating attacks reached an accord. Rather than fight against each other, they seemed to mix together. The dragon was finally allowed to continue it's flight path, flying headfirst into Itachi. At the same time however, the evil flames were allowed to travel down the body of the dragon, quickly reaching Esdeath and they hungrily consumed everything in their path.

And as both attacks made contact with their intended target, both fighters lost control of their attacks. The remains of the ice and fire blended in a final display of force, exploding to send both fighters flying back, the other's attacks following their trail.

* * *

Itachi was slammed into a large boulder as the serpent attempted to crush every bone in his body, digging him deeper and deeper into the attack. Finally, the boulder broke under the force and stress placed on it, allowing the ice dragon to continue on its path until it slammed into the wall of the mostly intact arena and freeing Itachi from his prison of sorts.

He groaned in pain as he lay on the snow, the numbing coldness barely noticed as pain blared out through his body. His cloak had been all but destroyed, with cuts and bruises littering his upper body and arms, which he had used to cover his face. Luckily, his ANBU edition body armour had managed to protect his ribcage from being obliterated by the sheer pressure of the attack.

Instead, he just felt as if he could barely breathe. His hands slowly came up, fumbling at the buckles at his sides with urgency to remove the dented armour. Within seconds, he unbuckled it, and pulled it off himself, his chest suddenly expanding as air rushed into it; however, whatever relief the ability to breathe brought was taken away as merely expanding his chest cavity caused pain.

"My ribs...they appear to be bruised," he noted to himself as he slowly his breathing rate and volume of inhalation, attempting to ease the pain as easily as he could.

Slowly, he eased himself up. It wasn't easy, with the constant pain in his ribcage and various aching cuts and bruises. He raised himself on shaky legs, which, while not cut, were certainly bruised.

Putting one shaking foot in front of the other, Itachi began to walk back to where he had last been. With each step, he regained more strength, preparing himself for the next clash.

As he walked, he idly wondered why he did it. Yes, he didn't enjoy war. Yet, he had been given a chance. He was not aware from who, but he had been given a chance to live a peaceful life. He could have left. He could have ignored their plight. But he didn't. He willingly threw himself at the strongest the enemy had to offer. He used one of the techniques that would lead him to eventual blindness, and to such great volume, that the nerve endings around his eyes still throbbed.

And now, he was ignoring his chance to escape and instead walking back to the engagement. Back to hell.

'Whatever happens now, I will kill her. Forgive me, Naruto, but I am unlike you. I am unable to convince a person as vile as her to merely _change_. Instead, the path to peace for this continent must be baptized with her blood.'

* * *

Esdeath was not fairly much better; after she had slammed headfirst into a boulder of her own, the flames had quickly spread around her body due to her clothing, having been exposed to a material that was actually flammable, never mind that fact that they burned everything.

She hurriedly attempted to freeze them, only to find that her ice had no affect on the strange flames. As she felt her skin begin to crack and suffer burns from the mere proximity, she realized she had very little time. Acting fast, she grabbed at her clothing with her left hand, coating it in ice to protect it, and began ripping away her burned clothing.

She was left in the mere tatters of her underwear, her bra having already been removed completely as the flames spread over it. However, her semi-nude state was definitely the least of her worries; the flames created by her opponent's attack had spread to her left arm as she had removed clothing, the ice covering over the hand melting within seconds before the extremely heat.

Her teeth grit in deep pain as she felt the flames directly on herself; whereas being extremely close to them caused third-degree burns over her body, direct exposure quite literally melted her. Skin, flesh and bone was superheated into a near liquid form, beginning to drop off her arm in teardrop shapes. There was no blood; it had long been burned away by the sheer heat.

She held out her left arm, ignoring the pain as best as she could, Ice was forming and melting away rapidly on her arm as she desperately trying to slow their progress as she prepared herself. Too slow for her liking, a rough piece of ice, shaped into a dagger-like shaped formed in her hand. It was not the perfect dagger that she had wanted, but the raw pain and need to act was numbing her Teigu.

She raised it high, before stabbing it just below her left shoulder, nearly destroying her teeth from how hard she grit them. A maddened grin slowly spread across her face as she dragged the makeshift dagger back and forth, left and right, until her entire mutilated left arm was removed from her body.

She stumbled away from the removed limb, immediately freezing the stump where her arm remained, thinking back idly to how she had done the same for the Northern soldier at the first outpost she attacked. The irony amused her.

But her amusement meant little. The pain was the same.

Despite her state, what mattered was the sheer pleasure and happiness she felt as she struggled to stand up, the burns littering her body protesting movement.

"Yes! Yes! This is it! This is battle! This is what it is meant to be like! The struggle for survival! The glorious struggle!"

She raved similar sayings over and over again as she walked back slowly. Nothing mattered but the glorious battle that she had longed for. The battle that no other human had managed to give her. The battle that was truly a battle of life and death for both fighters; not the one sided fights where she always dominated.

No one had ever managed to do anything to her like so. Not that pathetic bitch Najenda, and certainly not any other warrior she had faced.

This was it. This was what she lived for, and this was what she would die for.

Yet... Esdeath didn't want it to end.

She wanted it.

She _needed_ it.

As she finally came face to face with her opponent, at the place where their attacks had battled for dominance, Esdeath made up her mind. The glorious battle could not end. Not yet.

Not ever.

* * *

Itachi cautiously stared at Esdeath as they limped closer to one another before stopping about ten feet from one another. He raised an eyebrow at her nudity, though a quick glance at the missing left arm allowed him to fill in the gaps.

'It appears she was forced to removed her clothing due to **Amaterasu**. Somehow, her left arm caught fire, and she was forced to perform a field amputation.'

Her nudity was not an issue to Itachi as it might have been to most men. Like her, though he was not aware, he had been trained in the art of combat and nothing else; the differences between the male and female bodies meant nothing, for they were merely tools to serve the Hokage. At least, that had been his thinking at one point. As he grew, he realized there was more to life than battle; he had learned to love the peace, and fight for it.

What bothered Itachi more than the nudity, but not much, was the maniacal smile on her face. How it spoke of her madness, and threatened to split her face in half. That smile practically radiated evil and darkness, far more than perhaps any Bijuu.

It was then that Itachi truly made up his mind. She would fall.

He reached for his kunai pouch, only to note that it was no longer there.

'It must have been dislocated after the last clash,' he thought with a frown.

His opponent didn't seem to notice the movement, or, if she did, didn't care. Instead, she merely charged forward, yelling.

"Give me more!"

As she neared him, she dropped to the ground, springing off her legs a moment later to aim an ice-encased drop kick straight at his face. Itachi dodged at the last moment, allowing the leg to crash into the ground, kicking up snow and dust.

Not wasting even a second, he spun around, channeling chakra to his right leg as he thrust it at Esdeath in the form of a simple back kick.

"Urgh!" Came her grunt of pain as she barely raised her right arm to counter, encasing it in quick ice as she felt the bones in her forearm crack from the strength behind the kick. However, she was not made a General because she had low pain tolerance; even as she was sent soaring back a few metres, she righted herself midair and landed on both legs, her palm slammed into the ground.

Immediately, a line of meter long spikes began making their way to Itachi's location. He somersaulted to the right, jumping into the air as soon as he righted himself.

**"Katon: Goukyaku!"**

The ball of fire flew towards Esdeath, who merely smiled satisfactorily as a small dome of ice encased her, easily protecting her from the red-hot fire.

Esdeath emerged from the dome the second she felt the pressure of the fire dissipate, summoning numerous large boulders of ice which began to levitate around her.

One by one, she began to shoot them at the falling Itachi, who could do little to stop them as they crashed into him, one by one. She laughed joyously at the successful hits, only to stop as Itachi's body hit the ground a ways away, exploding in smoke to reveal one of her own smashed boulders of ice.

"What-"

Her question of surprise was cut off as her face snapped to the side, her cheekbone aching from the punch. Itachi, who had substituted right beside her the second the first boulder made contact, continued the assault; using a side kick, he pushed her backwards, using a quick **Shunshin** to appear behind her, kicking her straight into the air.

He quickly jumped after her, following her ascending form. His first punch landed heavily in her stomach, and the second soon followed to her chest. It was then that Esdeath regained her senses, somewhat righting herself to counter Itachi's barrage of punches by creating a shield of ice.

Seeing an opportunity as he slowed slightly against the now cracked and near broken shield, she created a spike of ice, which she attempted to stab through his heart; instead, his hand came in the way, allowing the spike to go through before he grasped it tightly.

He pulled sharply, bringing Esdeath closer to him before punching her in the face, her nose breaking with a sickening crack as it bent to the side.

Using another **Shunshin**, he appeared above her, silently thanking Sasuke for the final move. Heavily saturating his leg with chakra to the point it was visible, he brought it down on Esdeath's back, who turned in midair with another shield of ice to absorb the blow.

**"Shishi Rendan!"**

The powerful in-air axe kick struggled against the shield, a shockwave of energy rippling from between them. Slowly, it began to crack, before finally, the ice broke under the sheer force, allowing the kick to finally reach Esdeath's abdomen.

Her body folded inward as if she had been hit by an Ultra-Class Danger Beast, rocketing to the ground with a small sonic boom as the contained chakra exploded outward. She slammed into the ground a second later, a crater forming around her point of impact.

Moments later, Itachi landed in a crouch, just outside the edge of the crater, where Esdeath's bruised body lay. Seeing the heave of her chest, he jumped down to finish her off, slowly beginning to walk to her despite his body's protests once he landed. Half-way there, his ears twitched as he heard her speak, his instincts screaming 'DANGER!' moments later as energy surged out from under her.

**"Mahapadma."**

* * *

Esdeath groaned in the crater she lay in, her insides barely intact from the last kick. Had she not created her shield at the last minute, she would have surely been dead. Or, at the very least, been dying at this very moment.

She heard her opponent, who had yet to be named, land heavily moments after she hit the ground. She heard the crunch of his footsteps as his boots landed on the ground with each step. The vibrations that got louder the closer he got.

She was satisfied. So satisfied. She had finally met an opponent that could push her to her limits, an opponent who could pose a challenge.

This was the opponent that she had been waiting for to appear. The opponent she had created her ultimate move for. He wasn't the exact person she had in mind for this move persay, but his strength was possibly beyond even his.

And it was because of the battle he had provided her that she would allow herself to use this move.

"You should be honoured," she rasped quietly, not sure if he had heard her or not.

What she said next however, was something that she was sure he heard. She could currently only use it once a day, but for what she wanted, it would be enough.

**"Mahapadma."**

* * *

The very world around Itachi froze. No, saying the world froze was incorrect. Rather, it was time itself.

Itachi could see everything. He could hear everything. Yet he could not move. His eyes would not turn from their set position. But from what they observed, time itself had stopped. Everything lay frozen in the way it had been occurring just a moment ago; the kicked up snow from the impact, the lightly falling snow, his own body.

Slowly, he watched Esdeath rise to her feet, struggling as she did so. She stumbled as she tried to walk, before finally managing, the sadistic smile on her face present.

He watched as a hand came up, caressing his jaw line almost lovingly.

"You have given me what no other man could possibly give. You have given me battle beyond any other. For that, I thank you. This is my ultimate creation; a move that freezes time itself," she stopped here, coughing slightly as her body clenched, as if straining against some unseen force.

"I can currently only hold this technique for so long, but it will be enough. I will not kill you, for I cannot. You're too perfect for death. What you have given me now, is what you will give again."

She paused, taking her hand from his cheek, instead choosing to let it roam over his body; his arms, his chest, his legs, his crotch. Everywhere it went, a coating of ice following, slowly spreading to cover him whole.

"I shall take you back with me to the Empire. You will be given the title of General and serve in my personal army. You shall have whatever you want," she said, leaning in to brush her lips against his ear, her shockingly hot breath brushing it as she whispered.

"Money, fame, power, women...even me, should you choose."

She leaned back again, looking him dead in his frozen eyes.

"My only condition is that you continue to provide me with the battle that you have so given. Continue to pleasure me so."

Her face seemed to gain a light flush as she said this, as if intoxicated, her lone hand once more cupping his cheek as the ice continued to spread. "That is all I ever wanted, and you have provided it. But I want more; I need more."

She leaned in slowly, capturing his frozen lips in sick perversion.

"You will be mine."

The ice finally reached his face, encasing it within seconds as she broke the kiss. The ice covered him completely, thicken to form a block around him, at least a metre thick in all directions.

_"You will satisfy me."_

* * *

Slowly, the frightening technique began to fade, renewing the flow of time in the bubble that Esdeath had created, leaving Esdeath standing before a completely frozen Itachi. The sounds of battle raged in the distance as both armies continued to fight. She had full confidence her soldiers had pushed back the North, despite the mishap in the arena; she had easily killed half of the trapped army before they had escaped. Nyau, Daidara and River would be causing havoc, leading the charge into the city, most likely having defeated Numa Seika for her.

"It is time for me to return to them," she mumbled to herself, turning around to walk back, levitating Itachi's icicle prison behind her. Her very presence would boost morale, and with each step, she felt her powers slowly growing stronger, even as the strength of her body did not.

She would not need much to fight off the worms of the North, weak as they were. Perhaps she would even choose not to, instead saving her power for the torture chambers. The battle she had just fought was enough to satisfy her, and the warrior she had captured would make sure that there would be plenty more to come.

She smiled at the thought, momentarily forgetting about her surroundings to think of the pleasures to come.

And at that moment, Uchiha Itachi, former ANBU captain and S-ranked ninja, attacked at last.

As she took her next step, she felt a light shake in the ground as two pale hands popped from beneath her, wrapping around her feet and yanking her down into the hard ground.

As the world stopped lurching from the sudden movement, she looked up into the eyes of one Uchiha Itachi. Behind her, she heard a distinct pop as Itachi's clone went up in smoke, leaving a hollow human shaped hole within the ice prison.

His eyes were still in that beautiful shuriken shape she had seen from before, surrounded by an iris of a red that colour of lovely blood. And as she continued staring, she felt a seductive energy take a hold of her mind, wrapping and caressing it ever so gently.

**"Tsukiyomi."**

* * *

Esdeath awoke again, her surroundings drastically different and position drastically different. All around her was a barren wasteland, stretching on for miles and miles with naught an object in sight. The sky the same red colour as her opponent's iris, with a single pale yellow full moon in the sky.

She was tied to a cross, her arms spread. With a curious glance, she looked to see her left arm was fully intact as it had been before. Her clothing was in the same state as it had been before.

She looked before herself once more, now finding her opponent standing before her, wearing curiously different attire. He wore a full body cloak, coloured black with what appeared to be red clouds across it. On his head, he wore a headband, with a scratched-through symbol of a leaf. His unique eyes spun lazily.

"You are in my world now, Esdeath. Here, I am its God, and nothing is beyond me," he intoned, staring at her. With a wave of his hand, he spoke again. "I can force you to relive your worst nightmares here."

Suddenly, her left arm caught on fire with the same black flames that had burned it off. Esdeath felt the same pain she had felt before, coursing through her body. This time however, she was unable to do anything as they consumed her entire form, hungrily eating away at skin, flesh and bone.

And as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. She blinked, observing her form. She was fine once more. There were no flames, and her body was back in perfect shape, with naught a blemish on it.

Itachi stood before her still, calculating. It was true that she needed to die. That she was not needed in this world if she did not have a purpose that was not for true justice.

But...the shinobi within him still observed her, his mind formulating a devilish plan. Death was something she deserved beyond anything, but perhaps she could still be useful to him, to his goals.

He stood before her for a long time, though in this world, that was but a statement; he had all the time in the world here after all. She stared back at him, not saying anything as she held his gaze.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, his words carefully chosen.

"Esdeath, I have a proposition for you."

She quirked her head to the side, curious as she registered the statement.

"Oh? Of what sort?"

Itachi spoke a moment later.

"You enjoy and live for battle," he stated factually.

She merely nodded in return, slightly confused at what the stranger was hinting at.

"I desire peace. The Empire and its Teigu are in the way of that," he began, and Esdeath remained silent, taking in his words. "Help me. If you truly want a battle for your life, help me destroy the Empire and those who use their Teigu for something that is not justice."

"And why should I? What would be the benefits of this for me?"

Itachi held up fingers as he began to list off the reasons.

"For one, you would be able to fight against the many forces of the Empire. Surely there is someone else who is strong beyond just you. The other generals, perhaps?"

Esdeath's mind flashed to Budou, the guardian of the King and palace. Seeing her nod in confirmation, he continued, one finger down.

"Secondly, you will have me to battle as desired. Each time you wish to fight, I will bring you to this world. It will take but a few seconds in the real world, but to you, it will feel as if hours have passed by. You will feel everything."

He paused, catching his breath momentarily before moving on to the final reason. "And finally, at the very end, after the goal has been accomplished, we will fight once more. To the very end; we will not stop, no matter our injuries, until the other is dead."

He stopped, seeing her consider his proposal. With a wave of his hand, the post she was crucified to disappeared.

He held out a hand to her, meeting her eyes, opening it for her to grasp. "So, what say you?"

For a minute, Esdeath remained silent. Finally, a slow smile of excitement and bloodlust spread wide across her face. "Before I say anything, what is your name, warrior?"

He blinked lightly, not too phased by her question, though slightly annoyed he would potentially be risking his name should be refuse and somehow escape. However, it was a risk he was willing to take. If need be, he could kill her. That much, he was sure of.

"Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."

The smile remained on her face, and her seemingly delicate hand reached up to grasp his own.

"Well then Itachi-san, I have found the terms to be acceptable. For now, until your goal has been completed, we will work together. And at the very end, we will risk everything once more.

**The End**

* * *

**Ha ha! Bet you weren't expecting that, now were you? Trust me, I wasn't either. I just happened to do this, but I have full confidence this will certainly make the story quite interesting. Anyhow, I certainly hoped you all enjoyed the fight. Minus my end notes, it's roughly 5.5k words of Itachi's and Esdeath's clash. When I woke up Friday morning and read all your reviews, I just had to write this chapter ASAP. Cuz believe me, it wasn't even started. So, I got up, ate a hearty breakfast, and quite literally hauled ass to get it finished. And now, it's done! I really do hope you enjoyed it, because I did too! This is by far the longest fight scene I've written, though it's well deserved for two of the most badass characters I know.  
**

**I didn't want them to have techniques flying everywhere. Both are far beyond that. Whenever Esdeath fights, she never always shoots off ice at random. She enjoys getting in there with her sword and fists equally. **

**As for the Mahapadma, I kind of just had to use it. It was shown in the anime that Akame evaded it via afterimage. Therefore, Itachi created a clone and hid underground himself. Simple stuff. **

**Anyway, that's it for now. Please review to tell me what you thought of the fight, and any other parts of the chapter in general. And of course, what you think about the ending (not changing it, so don't ask/ tell me to :P). Also review because it warms my frozen heart. **

**HokagenoNaruto, OUT!**


	6. Death of a King

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Itachi and Esdeath slowly began trudging back towards the main battlefield, their tattered clothing covered by full-body cloaks that they had scavenged from the bodies of fallen Northern soldiers.

As they drew closer, Itachi stopped, causing Esdeath to follow, turning her head to look at her new partner curiously.

"Why have we stopped?" She questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"We have need of a proper course of action," he told her, gazing at the still fighting men. She followed his gaze, before frowning slightly.

"I do not see any out of place activity on the battlefield," she muttered, seemingly ignoring his statement. Itachi didn't care however, as her own statement caught his attention.

"Is there meant to be?"

Esdeath nodded as her keen eyes swept across the battlefield, picking out individualized fights between soldiers of the two armies. "Indeed. My Three Beasts are equipped with Teigu, and their abilities should be quite noticeable. Yet, I see no uniquely shaped axes flying around, no illusions, and no controlled water."

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the last two abilities. Choosing his words carefully, his chakra ready to cast a quick Genjutsu, he spoke.

"I fought against the last two that you spoke of. Both were slain, quickly. I am not sure what became of the wielder of the first Teigu."

Esdeath turned to stare at him, her eyes betraying no possible emotions for him to judge her state of mind. He met her gaze evenly, only breaking it when she shook her head lightly.

"In this world, the strong survive, and the weak perish. Nyau and River were weaker than you, and as such, they perished in combat. I am unsure of what has become of Daidara, but I fear he too was defeated somehow. Possibly by the ever famous Numa Seika I've heard of? Anyhow, it matters not. I shall see to their burials."

Itachi took in her words, understanding her ideology. It was quite simple, and very much applied to the world of shinobi. However, from what he knew of Esdeath, it seemed quite likely that she took it to a further extreme.

"Very well then. If we may progress to our plan of action?"

She merely nodded, not bothering to speak.

"You need to call off your army as soon as you can. Have them retreat momentarily, and camp before the walls of the North- to fight tomorrow, if you will. In the meantime, I will speak with Numa Seika, and appear in your personal quarters to inform you of our next move."

* * *

Numa stood in the makeshift centre made at the top of the main wall, over looking the hordes of battling men. At the same time, field medics fussed over him, dressing his injuries and wounds while he watched and gave out commands.

After seeing the arena of ice go up in flames, he had immediately ordered the men carrying him to bring him to the top of the wall for treatment; he refused to miss the battle. A massive hole had been blown through the thick ice, and moments later, the first of many Northern soldiers burst through, rushing to flank the enemy.

However, the enemies themselves were not helpless; they merely shouted their eager war cries, calling the name of their vile general, and fought harder. Currently, the enemy was fighting on two front; half were divided between pushing the remnants of the First and Fifth Divisions, while squads from the Third joined their ranks. The other half fought to hold back the Second and Fourth Divisions, the men having rushed the battlefield the second they escaped. He noted with a frown however that his ranks were severely lacking.

Whereas the entire Royal Northern Army stood at a grand total of 15 000 men strong, he saw barely half that one the battlefield before him. And holding them back was a mere force of 3000 men, which should have been crushed underfoot long ago. Yet they held their ground.

'To think, Esdeath is able to inspire such strength from her soldiers that they are able to stand against the odds. Not to mention, Esdeath herself thinned the army greatly with her initial assault, as well they killing many who were trapped in the arena. I pray that whoever is holding her back now is able to defeat her.'

He held up a hand suddenly, stopping his medics. "That's enough- I'm fine now. Go help those who need it far more than I do."

They opened their mouths to protest, before closing them with curt nods. No matter how much they disliked it, they would follow the orders of their lord. Such was their loyalty.

He watched as they hurried down the wall, rushing through the opening created by the destroyed gate. He began to motion for an attendant to fetch him a blowhorn, but stopped as he saw something curious; there was a figure flying through the sky.

He narrowed his eyes to gain better sight of who it was, before his eyes widened in shocked as he realized it was Esdeath, riding a floating platform of ice.

'What is she doing?'

As if hearing him, she smirked, raising her voice to yell out to her soldiers. "Men! Retreat for now, and make camp! We attack again at first light!"

Numa's face gained a shocked look. Esdeath was never known to retreat. Why had she done so now? And why was she so cockily announcing their plans?

Either way, it didn't matter. He gazed down at the battlefield as a swath of men broke away, rushing to the tree line as the remaining soldiers of the RNA shouted and jeered insults, raising their swords in approval, other pounding them against their shields.

He raised himself, his attendant coming at once.

"My liege?"

He asked, kneeling on a knee.

"Bring the soldiers to a retreat. No one is to chase after them, and they are to come and rest immediately. No man is to drink any form of alcohol; not until this war is officially over."

His mouth was molded into a frown, a calculating look on his face as he looked upon the backs of the retreating men.

'What is going on?'

* * *

Numa stood by his temporary bedside within a field tent deep in the heart of the city, his armour removed in favour of the battle clothes he wore under it, hand crafted for him. He groaned as his joints creaked, his muscles still tense from the battle. It was nearing 9 P.M., and he decided that it would be beneficial to sleep as long as he could. Lookouts were posted at the wall to signal if Esdeath chose to carry out a surprise attack, rather than attack at first light as she had said.

He rubbed his head, before easing himself underneath the sheets. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, beginning to drift off into the land of dreams.

Hearing a sharp noise, his eyes shot open, his mouth opening to ask who was there, only to find it covered by a gloved hand. Looking up, he was one Uchiha Itachi standing above him, a finger raised to his lips in a shushing motion.

Numa's eyes narrowed as Itachi slowly removed his hand.

"I need to you be silent while I explain Numa-sama."

Numa nodded, still not trusting the man.

Itachi saw the suspicion in his eyes, but chose to ignore it. With a deep breath, he began to explain as cleverly crafted words flowed out of his mouth about the powers of his Teigu, the battle with Esdeath, what he desired, and finally, the deal with Esdeath.

By the end of it, Numa was wide eyed as his mind tried to absorb the onslaught of information.

"You made a deal with that _monster_?" He hissed at Itachi, who nodded in return.

"Indeed. That monster is vital to my goals."

Numa merely shook his head. "I am grateful for what you did, in spite of the risk this brings to you. But why tell me? What do you gain?"

"You see, Numa-sama, I require your assistance too. I have told her to call back her troops for now. But the truth is, she cannot return to the Empire, where I need her, without conquering the North. At the same time, I will not allow that to happen. As such, I have a plan in mind to fool the Empire of the North's status."

Numa stared at Itachi curiously. The man before him had managed to force back Esdeath, a feat that was near impossible, and he had even entered into a partnership with her to destroy the Empire. He showed a certain cunning that was beyond most, shown by his battle, so Numa was interested in what plan he could create to fool the very Empire itself.

"Well, what do you have in mind?"

Itachi paused a moment, staring Numa dead in the eyes.

"You need to die."

* * *

Esdeath stood in her large tent, stripping off the large stolen cloak. The cool Northern night air blew strong, buffeting tents with chills. But to her, it felt like a mere pleasant breeze as it entered her current abode, moving around her form to fit the shape of her body.

Bending slightly, she removed her underwear, moving towards a mirror to examine herself, naked as the day she was born.

There were a few healing cuts on her body, though her main concern was the burns and bruises. There were not too many burns, as she had managed to remove her clothing just in time, but a few still littered the length of her long legs. Her abdomen was one big bruise, a result of Itachi's powerful kick. Turning around, she twisted her head to view her backside; it was relatively unmarred, save for the light soreness that echoed from it.

She turned around once more, brushing her fingers over where her left arm once was, the stump now clean, though fresh skin had yet to grow over it. Merely doing so brought back memories of the fight, causing Esdeath's face to flush as a particular dampness flooded her lower regions. She sat down on a nearby stool, grabbing a healing salve that an attendant had left her.

She opened it, dipping two fingers in the cool mixture. She raised her legs to rest them at the foot of the bed, leaning forward to spread to salve over her burns. Her lone hand trailed up her leg, moving to gather more of the salve as the current amount ran about.

She slowly made her way up her body, her wetness growing with sensual moans as each throbbing injury replayed a certain image of the fight. The burns on her legs from their first clash, her bruised abdomen from the powerful kick, the cut from each slash of his weapons, and her missing left arm of the clash of two powerful techniques.

"I'm not disturbing something, am I?"

Esdeath merely shook her head as she continued to spread the medicine, taking in the now somewhat familiar presence of Uchiha Itachi. She had not figured out how he appeared within her tent so suddenly, but it mattered not.

She stood after a minute, turning to face him. Itachi's eyes drifted up and down her nude form, taking in each individual injury. His gaze finally settled on the stump of her left arm.

Esdeath followed his eyes, seeing where they were looking, before laughing ever so slightly. She waved a dismissive hand.

"The arm is of no consequence. Such a wonderful battle was worth the price paid. You are a strange man however, Itachi-san. A nude woman stands before you, yet you do not look where most men would."

Itachi shrugged, not quite caring. "There is a time and place for all things. Fretting over things such as nudity when far more important tasks are at hand is a waste of time."

Her melodious laugh rang out, her full breasts shaking with the harmonious sound.

"I most definitely agree."

She moved slowly, the salve now covering her wounds as she raised a leg to enter the tub beside her, filled nearly to the brim with hot water. She lowered herself steadily, the hot water soothing aches as it relaxed her muscles.

"Now, Itachi-san, what is the verdict of the North?"

He reached into his back pocket, removing a scroll. He spread it on the ground, and with a quick application of chakra, the severed head of Numa Seika lay on it, his eyes closed in a peaceful manner.

* * *

_A Few Minutes Earlier  
_

Numa blinked, sore and tired muscles tensing as they prepared to spring him away from his possible assassin. "I'm sorry, what?"

Itachi raised a calming hand. "Fear not. Physically, you will not be dead. However, the man named Numa Seika must be; after he surrenders the North to the Empire."

"I...I'm afraid I fail to understand, Itachi-san."

Itachi nodded his head, accepting the statement, before continuing to explain. "Esdeath and I have formed a partnership; you know this. From here forth, she does not fight for the Empire- she fights for me. I want you to join me in pursuit of my goal."

Numa's eyes narrowed in a calculating manner as he tried to understand Itachi's words. What did he mean? What goal did the enigmatic man before him wish to pursue?

He chose to simply ask. "And would exactly would your goal be?"

"Peace," Itachi replied simply, having expected the man to ask. "That's all I ever wanted. But for peace to be achieved, the Empire must be destroyed. They stand in the way of peace due to the sheer corruption of the officials."

Numa nodded in agreement with the statement. Indeed, the Empire was beyond corrupt. He had heard the stories when he was younger; of an Empire that was more pure. Of an Empire that served the people, rather the other way around. The Empire of today was a far cry from that.

One could not fault the young leader for agreeing. He had just been given a taste of what exactly the Empire could do, having fought against Esdeath and her army.

"Very well. What is it that you need me to do?"

Itachi allowed himself to smile slightly at the acceptance. So far, his plans appeared to be going well. One could only hope they continued as such.

"The first step is..."

* * *

Esdeath raised an eyebrow as she stared at the head curiously. For all intents and purposes, it truly did appear to be the head of Numa Seika. The descriptions she had read of the man, as well as the pictures she had seen, suggested nothing else.

She looked up at the impassive Itachi after a moment.

"You killed him?"

He shook his head.

"Not quite."

Turning his head slightly, he called gently outside the tent. "Please enter."

Esdeath followed his gaze to the tent flap, which lifted slightly as a cloaked man entered quietly. He walked towards them, removing his hood once he reached Itachi's side.

Esdeath looked down to the severed head, then back towards the intent gaze of Numa Seika.

"Numa Seika, I presume?"

He nodded stiffly. "General Esdeath, I presume?"

A chuckle escaped her lips as she relaxed further into the slowly cooling bath tub. "Indeed."

So this was the man that lead the North. She had to admit, he was certainly quite a figure, if his powerful gaze was anything to go by. She had heard tales from troops as she walked around her camp after the battle of how Numa Seika had slaughtered their comrades, turning from a man to a veritable hurricane.

He was also the man that had killed Daidara, whereas Itachi had slain River and Nyau. Whereas Itachi had displayed his own unique abilities, Numa Seika had no such powers, as far as she knew. For him to defeat a skilled user of a Teigu as Daidara had been...it was truly shocking. She idly licked her lips at the prospect of facing him in battle one day.

The deaths of her dear soldiers would indeed be mourned; however, in the end, they had died because they were weaker than their opponents. The strong reigned and survived, after all.

She turned her head back to Itachi, who had remained silent during the short exchange. "What have you done?"

Itachi applied chakra to the scroll, resealing the head. He placed it in his back pocket as he stood up. "The head is one of a fallen soldier. I applied an illusion to it, making it appear to all onlookers as if it is the head of Numa Seika."

Esdeath marveled at the warrior before her, shaking her head in amusement as she thought back to the battle. Such a powerful man he was, yet so different from all others she knew. Whereas other men in power desired money, fame and women, Uchiha Itachi desired only one thing; peace. Yet, for one who constantly called for peace, he was far from a weakling or unable to kill.

She smirked slightly. "So, what's the plan that you have conceived Itachi-san?"

He replied without missing a heartbeat. "From this moment forth, all the people within this room are working towards one goal; the destruction of the Empire. The primary step is for you to return to the Empire, where me and Numa will follow you; your army will remain in the North, after Numa himself supposedly traded his life for the safety of his people."

He paused at this, glaring firmly at Esdeath. "No citizen of the North is to be harmed when they return to the citadel. Is that clear?"

She merely waved her hand in acceptance. Seeing her confirmation, he continued. "The fake head will be presented to your higher-ups as proof of Numa's death. No one will know that he is truly alive. I will require a sum of money to acquire a base of operations where me and Numa may stay, and also where you can meet with us in secret when needed; I don't know where to acquire it however."

Esdeath nodded at the plan, going over all she had heard within the confines of her mind. "The money is of no consequence; I shall give you as much as you require for both the base, as well as all other expenses. But what shall we do after we have set up a base?"

"We will work in the shadows to assassinate those within the Empire that are corrupt; a cleanse, so to speak. So long as the corruption remains, so will we."

Itachi neglected to tell them of the full extent of his plan; a plan that he himself didn't quite know.

Numa suddenly spoke up, having chosen to remain silent and observe. "Itachi-san, I have heard of a group of rebels called the Revolutionary Army; they wish to overthrow the rule of the Empire. Will we be joining them?"

"I have heard of them," Esdeath said upon hearing the familiar name. "They are a decent-sized group in comparison to the Empire; at least, that is the information I received the last time I was in the Empire- about 6 months prior. They have been a thorn in our sides for the past year, though they only recently began to gain the courage to go through with higher-scale operations."

Itachi paused at the new information he had just received. He shook his head after a few moments of silence. "I do not know what level of strength they sit at in comparison to the Empire. We will not be joining them, and instead will be our own organization. However, I will find a way to contact their leaders to learn of and coordinate with their plans in the near future."

The two nodded before him, silence overtaking them. Finally, Numa spoke once more.

"Itachi-san?"

Itachi turned his head at the questioning tone, observing the curious look on Numa's face. "Yes?"

"You mentioned that we are an organization. As such, we need a name. What shall we call ourselves?"

"Indeed, I am curious as well Itachi-san," Esdeath added.

Itachi looked between the two as a single name came to mind. It was certainly an ironic one. Yet, it was very fitting for what their goals were, and for the methods by which they would achieve them. Cementing the name in his mind, he spoke but one word.

"Akatsuki."

When the darkness of the Empire ended, a new age would dawn. A new age of prosperity for the oppressed people. It would not be easy to achieve their goal, but they would. Through the spilled blood of the corrupt, they would cleanse the Empire.

For they were the Akatsuki, the Red Dawn.

* * *

Itachi stood on the side of the wall that ran alongside the former entrance to the Northern capital, hidden from view with a quickly applied **_Meisagakure no Jutsu_**. He looked on as Esdeath stood proudly before the grand city, her army a short ways behind her. She donned a near identical outfit she had worn the day before; a white suit that was fashioned like a dress, stopping mid-thigh, coupled with long black arm guards. Or rather, a single arm guard, which didn't escape the notice of the Northern Army. Itachi heard whispers break out between the assembled ranks of soldiers just on top of him. Her rapier, or rather, a replacement of it, hung by her left side.

Hearing the whisper brought back a quick flash of memories. The battle had truly been a difficult one; almost as difficult as battling Sasuke had been.

He watched as Numa move to stand on top of the wall, flanked by two bodyguards. He was dressed in his full battle armour, his signature spear in hand.

"Esdeath!"

His powerful voice cut through the relative silence, like a hot knife through butter. Esdeath merely smiled as she replied.

"Numa."

"Leave, now. You are severely outnumbered, missing your left arm, and weakened. If you leave, your men will survive. Should you not, I guarantee your slaughter," he said coldly, internally grinning at his rather fine acting.

Esdeath quirked her head, stroking her chin with her remaining hand in mock thought. "I believe I'll have to refuse your deal Numa-san. You see, my orders are absolute. And my weakened state is more than enough for the likes of you."

"Then I propose a duel."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity. "A duel, you say?"

He nodded in response. "On our honours, we fight to the death. Should I win, you leave with your army, and never set foot within the Northern Territory with evil intent ever. Should you win, you take the North. My soldiers will surrender _unconditionally_, but you shall not harm them, or any person of the North." He ignored the cries of outrage from the soldiers across the ranks.

Esdeath paused in 'thought' for a moment. "Very well, that is acceptable."

She rested her hand against the hilt of her rapier, drawing it and setting it before her in a loose stance. She smirked cockily at Numa.

"Come, if you truly dare."

And he did. Ignoring his still aching muscles, he leaped off from the wall where he stood. Numa's legs flexed as his knees bent to absorb the shock as he landed, kicking up snow and dirt. It cleared with a powerful swing of his spear, displaying the force behind it.

The two opponents stared at one another momentarily, and, as if reaching an unspoken accord, charged.

They met near the imaginary middle point between them, rapier clashing against spear as Esdeath blocked Numa's overhead swing. A wild grin spread across her face at the strength of the blow; it made even her struggle to hold it back.

They didn't maintain their stalemate for too long though. After a few moments of trying to push one another back, the two enemies drew their respective weapons back, aiming for another form of attack at the other.

Moving first, Numa jumped into the air as he attempted to skewer Esdeath's head from above. In response, she merely slid back, creating a slew of ice spikes for Numa to impale himself on. He frowned, simply stabbing his spear into a cluster to break them apart and landing on the now safe ground.

However, he was not given a chance to rest as Esdeath thrust her rapier forward, aiming straight for his heart. With a jerky swipe of his hand, he blocked the attack by slamming the metal-laced arm of his spear into it, diverting its course. He followed up immediately, using the pole to swing both legs into Esdeath's weaker left side.

She slid to the side as she fought against the momentum, ice creeping up from the ground to hold her in place. Thinking quickly, she let go of her rapier and slammed her palm on the snow. Immediately, a blunt polearm of ice shot out, burying itself in Numa's abdomen as his eyes widened and spittle flew from his mouth.

Esdeath didn't allow herself to stop as Numa was carried away by the still growing polearm. She immediately leapt onto it, running across its narrow surface as she tried to near him. With a wave of her hand, a thick wall of ice was created behind Numa, which he promptly slammed into, a small crater forming from the impact.

She reached him shortly after as he tried to regain his bearing, sticking her ice encased arm out. The wall which Numa had slammed into shortened at the right side to match his body shape; Esdeath's forearm slammed into Numa's chest a moment later, breaking him through the wall.

Numa lay on the ground, barely conscious. Esdeath had held back so as to not cause permanent injuries in their literal mock battle, but they still ached his already strained body. Allowing himself to take a beating was not his ideal way to spend the day after a victorious battle against the Empire.

'That should be convincing enough,' he thought to himself with a mild grimace. Numa loved his country, as would any ruler. But more than his country, he loved his people- every last one of them. What he wanted to do least was betray them, as he was just about to do. However, it was for a good cause. Or so he tried to convince himself.

Reaching into his pocket, he threw a small piece of metal towards the wall, completely missing Esdeath.

"Oho? I do believe I am your opponent, rather than the wall. Whatever they was, it was useless," Esdeath said with a mocking tone. In reality, she knew exactly what that was. It was the signal for the Akatsuki to move into stage two of the plan, which would include Itachi casting an illusion to show Numa's death at the hands of Esdeath, while Numa would rendezvous with Itachi, who would transform them into soldiers under Esdeath's command.

Itachi saw the metal glinting as it flew straight at him. He caught it with an idle hand, examining it. It was his old ring, which he had given to Numa to throw as a signal. He slipped it onto his finger, immediately initializing phase two of their plan, spreading his chakra over the large area encompassed by the two factions.

**"Magen: Nise Riariti."**

* * *

_**Within the illusion**  
_

_Esdeath roughly grabbed Numa's ponytail, pulling him to his knees from his place on the ground. She smirked as he spit out a glob of blood. _

_"I expected so much more of you, Numa Seika. You are, after all, the man who united the North to stand against the Empire," Esdeath said as she stared down at the beaten man. "Yet, here you are, kneeling like the dog you truly are before me."_

_Numa remained silent, his head bowed in defeat. Esdeath frowned at his silence. _

_"Have you no last words?"_

_For a while, Numa gave no response, as if not hearing the question. Finally, he raised his head to stare into Esdeath's eyes. _

_"Will our pact be honoured? Will my people remain unharmed?"_

_Esdeath stabbed her rapier into the ground beside Numa. She dragged her open palm down the length of the blade, drawing blood. _

_"I swear it on mine blood. No harm will come to your people, whether they are civilian or soldier, so long as they do not oppose me."_

_Numa gave a grateful nod, tilting his head to face his people for the very last time._

_"Then, as my final orders as the King in the North and the commander of this noble army. Everyone! Please be safe! Abandon any thoughts of vengeance, for I pass onto the world of the ancestors today with a smile on my face!"_

_He coughed suddenly, his lungs shuddering from the stress of yelling so loudly. Numa turned back to Esdeath, nodding as he bowed his head. True to his word, a smile graced his face, the sides of his lips curling just enough for his men to see. _

_Esdeath grasped her rapier, moving slowly to the side so that the surviving soldiers of the North could see the execution. _

_The murdering blade swung down, and so died the king; the commander; the brother; the husband; the father; the man, Numa Seika._

* * *

Itachi walked down the dirt road, surrounded by trees. In the distance, the great mountains rose into the clear blue sky, where the mighty Sun held it's place and gave life unto all.

It was stark contrast from the Northern territory, which he had left soon after Numa's "execution"; the men of the North had followed through with their last orders, surrendering to Esdeath's forces. In return, she kept her word, and not a single hair was harmed on the heads of any of the Northerners. Numa currently hid in Esdeath's army, playing the role of one of her new elite guards. Itachi himself traveled a separate path from them, designed to let him set up in the Capital and gather information to plan Akatsuki's next course of action.

Instead, this new land reminded him more of his home; of Konoha. Of all the memories he had left there- the good, the bad, and the ugly. He heart rared to live there once more, in that peaceful world that he hoped his brother and Naruto had been able to achieve. Yet, he couldn't.

For Uchiha Itachi had a new purpose in this world. Here, he would bring in peace, or some semblance it. He would be the sword in the darkness that was needed to pierce the evil that was in the Empire.

He sighed. "How different I have become. Perhaps this is what the Third felt, when he did atrocious things to keep the peace in the world?"

A fond expression crossed his face as he thought of the old man. He could not blame him for ordering him to follow through with the mission, for it was the only way they could both see to stop the madness of the Uchiha. He was grateful to him for protecting Sasuke all those years from the grasp of Danzo.

A wistful smile crossed his face as an old saying came to mind.

_When the tree leaves dance, _

_One shall find flames. _

_The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, _

_And once again,_

_Tree leaves shall bud anew._

* * *

**_TO BE CONTINUED  
_**

**I had this sitting around for a while actually, with just the last little bit remaining (the actual execution and the little bit after). More of a filler-ish chapter, with more intermediate events being done with. Itachi is finally arriving at the capital, and the Akatsuki has been born again for the purpose of peace- except, you know, more oriented towards peacekeeping than the original Akatsuki was. So far, we have three members- Itachi (duh), Esdeath, and Numa. The ending was kind of rushed (I'm quite tired), so sorry about that. I'll edit it at a later date.  
**

**Anyway, night for now. Review and let me know what you think! **

**HokagenoNaruto, out.**


	7. Turning Wheels

I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kill. This story is meant for entertainment purposes only, and in no way, shape or form does it express the opinions of the original authors, or myself.

* * *

Itachi sat hunched over the small table in a corner at The Fool's Gold, a small rundown tavern located in District 12 of the Capital; it was where the absolute worst of the Empire stayed, as Itachi had quickly learned upon arrival. A great variety of people stayed in the poorly maintained streets, usually seeking sanctuary of some sort- the poor, beggars, whores, small-time crooks, orphaned children. District 12 was located in a small portion of the Capital that was well away from the castle, and much further from anywhere visiting nobles would go, in order to hide the poverty.

It served his purposes well for reasons. For one, due to the many shady people in the District, his sudden appearance would not be questioned; there was an honour among thieves, one could say. Secondly, it served as a good place to begin the formation of an information network. The Capital had many secrets hidden within its nooks and crannies. Who better to report on them then the very rats who traversed them? Finally, it was a good place for Itachi to scout out possible targets; the area was near lawless, and nobles would often come by to take a person of interest to them.

He had currently been inside the capital for a mere two days. Esdeath and Numa would be forced to travel at a slower pace, in accordance to the size of her army. It would take them upwards to a month to return, especially if she chose to stop in the villages where the families of dead soldiers resided. In that aspect, Itachi mused, Esdeath was truly kind. She gave her warriors the proper respect they deserved, even going as far as participating in rituals specific to their religions, as he had witnessed from the short time he had been with her.

"Excuse me, Sasuke-san?" A soft voice said from his right. His tilted his head to see Emi, one of the tavern's few waitresses, holding a mug of freshly brewed tea for him. She had been of great help for Itachi the past two days in telling him more about the Capital. Naturally, he had told her his name was Sasuke, no surname. She was a hard working girl, who's parents had died four years ago. Since then, she had worked with her uncle at the tavern to earn a living for herself and her siblings.

"Mhm?"

She blushed lightly as the dark eyes focused on her, the corners of his mouth twitching up quickly to offer her a small smile. "I was able to buy some jasmine tea for you, since you mentioned you liked it more than green tea. Unfortunately, I was unable to find this "Pocky" you kept mentioning."

Itachi didn't allow the disappointment show on his face at the lack of Pocky in this world. Instead, he merely thanked her as he accepted the tea graciously. He quirked an eyebrow as she slid the tray to the side of the table and sat down opposite to him.

"May I help you, Emi-san?"

She smiled shyly. "Well, I've told you a lot about the Capital, and a bit about myself, but I don't even know a single thing about you!"

Itachi paused at the hidden question. "Well...there isn't much to know."

"I'm sure there is," she argued, overcoming her earlier shyness. "Like, what do you do?"

He lifted the fragile teacup to his mouth, taking a small sip to test the heat of the liquid. It was still too hot for his personal tastes. "Well, I'm a handyman. There isn't much I don't do."

"I see," she said slowly, her mood appearing to dampen slightly. Her voice was deathly quiet, and appeared to have a light tremble to it as she spoke again.

"What if...what if someone was in trouble and asked you to help them? And that helping involved killing their tormentor."

Itachi's eyes sharpened, suddenly focusing on her. He quickly scanned the bar. At this time, so early in the day, no one was there. Even drunks needed time to recover.

"What are you saying, Emi-san?"

That was a formality of course. Itachi had no need to ask her of what she meant. His mind had pieced together all the possibilities and decided on the most likely one in mere seconds.

"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head and attempting to regain her voice somewhat. "It's nothing at all."

"I see," Itachi replied. He was not one to pry in another person's private business. If Emi was truly in need of help, she would tell her uncle. He took another sip, appreciating the rich flavour. "This is quite good Emi-san."

She blushed in return at the compliment. "Thank you."

Emi hastily stood up, brushing her dress. "I'm afraid I must return to assist my uncle in the kitchen. See you again, Itachi-san."

After a haste bow, she scampered off quickly. Itachi frowned, watching her go. There was a nervous tone to her posture. It was tight, contradictory to the carefree nature she attempted to portray.

The tea cup was once again brought to his mouth. 'It seems I need to keep my eye open for yet another thing, especially beyond this ever elusive Night Raid.'

Night Raid was an organization that Itachi had heard of the very day that he had set foot in the capital. How could he not? There was a massive uproar in every district about the sudden assassination of Tanaka Ishimo, a bureaucrat that was in the good favour of the current King and Prime Minister. On the surface, he appeared to have been a very compassionate man, bringing in orphaned children and raising them to be good citizens in well-equipped orphanages.

Naturally, after some more careful investigation on his part, Itachi had discovered this was most certainly not the case. The children that he took in were forced into various aspects of the criminal underworld as they grew older. Prostitution, extortion, assassination, robbery, slave-trade. If you could name it, they had been raised into it. Ishimo was nearing his sixties before his death, and it seemed this system he had created dated back several decades.

But that brought to the question how Night Raid had obtained this information. Itachi had only done so with liberal use of the _Meisagakure no Jutsu_, leaving very few possibilities. The first, that Night Raid, being a group of assassins, would naturally have a member that was proficient in infiltration and information gathering. The second, as a possible expansion to the first point, there was a member who possessed a Teigu that allowed for easy infiltration. The third, which was just as likely, was the possibility of a contact on the inside.

Whichever the case, Itachi was mildly impressed by the efficiency of the assassin. He or she had infiltrated a compound protected by numerous bodyguards, entered the private chambers of the target, killed them without alerting any of the guards outside, and disappeared just as quickly. His body had only been discovered in the morning, when servants came to wake Tanaka. While it was an easy feat for most trained shinobi, he had not expected such finesse in a world where the majority of people were no inherently powerful.

Naturally, Itachi wished to find and test the members of Night Raid for himself. If possible, he would even offer them spots in his own organization, or at the very least, offer a collaboration. They seemed to want the downfall of the evil in the Capital, so their goals naturally aligned.

While he could probably locate them with ease, he would rather not. Instead, he would act as a shinobi would; by leading Night Raid to find him.

After all, here in this world, among assassins, Uchiha Itachi was the king.

* * *

Numa Seika sighed. He had been doing that a lot lately, it would seem, ever since he had joined the Akatsuki. He truly was not fully aware of how he had agreed to all the plans made by the ever mysterious Uchiha, who he had taken in by falsely believing him to be a casual foot soldier.

His current reason for sighing was not said Uchiha. Rather, he was sighing out of pure and utter boredom, due to being forced to stand as a guard outside of Esdeath's tent. What was even worse was the courtesy and deference that he was forced to display to her, so that none would question his loyalty.

'No doubt that infuriating woman is enjoying this. Even in such simple matters, she is the ultimate sadist,' he grumbled silently in the recesses of his mind, recalling the way she would smirk at every forced 'Milady' he said.

And speaking of Esdeath, Numa was not sure what to make of her either. They had parted ways with Itachi over a week ago, and since then, she would invite him into her tent night by night to speak of trivial matters. And while she seemed so much more tamed, every now and then a flash off her bloodthirstiness would shine through, usually when speaking of Itachi.

Something was inherently wrong with her psychology, Numa had decided. That much had always been obvious, but now, after interacting with the woman for a week straight, he could say for certain she was far too unstable. That instability lead to her being unpredictable, and if there was one thing that Numa did not enjoy, it was unpredictability.

It was that same unpredictability found in wild animals, who would not be tamed by the average person. Yet, somehow, Itachi had managed to do just that. He had tamed the mighty Esdeath. It was not something Esdeath realized, but Numa had noticed it during their interactions. Esdeath deferred to the man, giving him respect and paying attention to his words.

However, Numa was not completely sure she could be trusted. Her reasons for join the Akatsuki were simple; she wished to battle powerful opponents, and who was more powerful than the other Generals of the Empire? Furthermore, Itachi himself had promised her a final battle of glory; at least, that was what he had been able to discern from Esdeath's sometimes mad ravings.

He clenched his fist lightly, his body becoming all too aware of a particular object located in his right breast pocket. Precisely, a small vial of the most potent poison found in the North. It's cure was something the Empire had yet to discover, it's effects slow and subtle. Most of the signs of the poison were in fact written off as a person succumbing to hypothermia. In the North, it was the perfect weapon.

And Numa had noted it's affects fully over the past few days, where a good number of Esdeath's soldiers fell sick, slowly succumbing to what everyone believed was the cold. He knew better, naturally, but refused to mention it. Esdeath may not be his enemy anymore, but the soldiers of the Empire certainly still were.

The vial of poison was something Numa had grabbed at the last second, as a precaution. Esdeath's might was too crazy for him at the moment. However, at the very least, he would be able to scratch her. And when he did, he would pass on with the satisfaction that she would die the worst possible death for herself; one without honour, away from the battlefield. If Itachi was not able to do the job, then he, Numa Seika, would sacrifice himself to finish off the greatest possible danger in the world.

'Do not ever think that I will merely forget what you have done, Esdeath. When the time comes, you will die; whether it's with or without me remains to be seen.'

Yes, Numa thought to himself. She would die, one way or another. He swore it.

* * *

Itachi crouched low on the roof of the mansion owned by the Kazuhito family. It was a grand Western style building, with at least four floors. There were many windows, though he hadn't bothered to discern what each room held. The Kazuhito family was one of the one's he had been began investigating two nights ago, after his decision to draw out Night Raid.

On the surface, they were a normal noble family. Kazuhito Hirano, the head of the family, held a place on the King's Council as the Head of Public Affairs. He was well loved by the citizens, frankly speaking, though he too ran many underground dealings. Itachi noted, with some humour, that such was becoming a frequent trend with most people in the Capital.

Hirano had made his rise in both power and politics over a decade ago, during the reign of the old King. He had done so in a simple manner; through the establishment of a drug empire. He had a total and complete monoploy over the trade of many drugs in the Capital (including, but not limited to, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, ecstasy and more). The officials had become well aware of where his power lay, and it was for this reason that they brought him into the Council.

Despite his illegal dealings in drugs, and various unsavoury means needed to enforce his power, Hirano was not a man who supported child prostitution or human trafficking such as Tanaka Ishimo had. However, he had been on rather good terms with Tanaka. One might even go as far as to say they were good friends rather than mere business associates. Hirano was one of the few nobles that actually cared about the people of the Empire. Perhaps it was why he was supporting the Revolutionary Army.

It was through some light investigation and ensuing payment that Itachi had learned of Hirano's connections to Tanaka's assassination.

* * *

_Itachi quickly intercepted the closing door of the Diamond's Brothel, which had been opened to allow a portly man to enter by the guard stationed outside. His hands flashed out to the forehead of the guard before he even had a chance to open his mouth to question the man who had forcefully opened the closing door. With a quick burst of chakra from Itachi, the guard fell unconscious, crumpling to the floor. Just as he was about to hit the ground, Itachi caught him, gently laying him on the ground without the sound.  
_

_Throughout this whole interaction, the portly man remained completely unaware. It had only taken mere seconds. Itachi waited for the man to enter the main room of the brothel before he continued doing anything. He made sure to lock the door behind him, securing the door handles with the baton that was at the waist of the unconscious guard. _

_He hefted the guard up once more, his muscles mildly strained from the weight of the man. While it would be lightwork for Itachi to do so with chakra, he was attempting to challenge himself, so to speak. By restricting his usage of chakra to only using his techniques, Itachi hoped to strengthen his natural body. In that way, he would be even stronger with chakra. He had no illusions that Esdeath would follow through with their battle after all of this. He needed to get even stronger, rather than survive out of luck._

_Had he not substituted with that shadow clone at the end of the battle, he had no illusions that he would've have been caught by the fearsome woman. Of course, escape would not have been difficult. They had no way of restraining his chakra, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. Defeat was not something he liked, after all. _

_Focusing back to the task at hand, Itachi dragged the guard into a janitorial closet, making sure to secure it from the outside with a broom. He cautiously entered the main room, which was dimly lit, full of rowdy men and naked whores. He moved to the bar, taking a seat on a table away from all the groups of men. He was lucky to be ignored. No one cared too much for him. To them, he was just another lonely man, seeking company for the night. _

_Itachi was seeking company, though not for what most people would expect. He had learned from merely listening in the right places that the owner of this brothel was also a very well-learned information broker. For the right price, he would be able to find out about nearly anything, if he did not know it already. The information available here was beyond even the capabilities of the Empire. This brothel was not just your average whorehouse, after all. It was a brothel made for mercenaries. It was here that they could learn about certain jobs, or rest and relax after one. The mercenaries who frequented this place, as well as the various clients of the man, had made sure that word would absolutely not reach the ears of the King. For over two decades, they had managed to do just that.  
_

_A sudden weight resting on his right arm drew his attention. He turned his head slightly, finding an alluring woman pressing her full breasts onto his arms. Her eyes her half-lidded, a seductive smile on her face. _

_"Well, aren't you a looker?" She said, her voice smooth like honey. "Perhaps I can offer you my services for the night?"_

_Itachi gazed at her, before he allowed a slow smile onto his face. "Yes, that would be acceptable."_

_The woman nodded happily at earning another customer. _

_"Please, follow me," she said, turning and walking towards the staircase. Itachi noted that her well shaped hips had an added sway to them, the supple flesh jiggling lightly with each step. He shook his head to clear way any thoughts as he followed her. Now was not the time._

_She lead him into a private room at the end of the hallway, past rooms which carried out the noises of faint moans and grunts. He entered, and closed the door after him, immediately appreciating the sudden silence. He looked around, noting that the room was, like the rest of the brothel, dimly lit. There was a single queen sized bed in the center of the room, covered by velvet sheets. A lone dresser was off to the side._

_His company stood in the room, her dignity covered merely by a small thong. With a chance to examine her better, Itachi was enraptured by her beauty. She had a youthful face, which did not betray her age, framed by long raven hair which flowed halfway down her waist. She had moved it in front of her, covering her nude breasts, which were the perfect size for her petite frame. He estimated she was around five foot three, a solid nine inches from his respectable height of 6 feet. _

_She strolled up to him casually, cupping his chin with her right hand, before she guided his head down into a kiss. Her left roamed his body, rousing various parts of his anatomy. _

_"We have much to do in so little time. I'm yours to do as you please, handsome," she said, pulling back from the kiss, though keeping him in her arms. _

_Itachi stared at her, tempted to do just that. He was a man after all. However, he knew that the mission came before anything else. He needed to focus. _

_"I need information," he said simply, watching as the woman frowned, withdrawing herself from his form. _

_"The information you need may or may not be here. You must also provide payment for what you want, which will be higher or lower depending on what it is," she informed him. _

_"Information about who in the capital may be connected to the Revolutionary Army," Itachi said simply._

_The woman continued to frown. It ruined her beautiful features, Itachi could not help but think. _

_"Payment always comes first. And the information you want will have the heftiest payment of all," she said. Itachi narrowed his eyes._

_"What is the payment?"_

_The woman shrugged in response, her breasts shaking from the gesture. "That is decided by me. After all, I am the owner of this establishment."_

_Itachi's eyes widened, before he bowed slightly out of respect. He was a guest in this place after all. His manners would not be forgotten. _

_The woman smirked lightly. "It is not often you see a mercenary with such respect. That too in front of a nearly naked woman."_

_Itachi kept silent, merely staring at her. He would not rise to the small talk. _

_She sighed in response. "Very well, stranger, I shall discover what it is that you need. However, the matter of my payment still remains."_

_"What do you want?" He asked simply. Itachi had not shortage of money at the moment, courtesy of Esdeath. She had provided him with a small fortune, long enough to last at least a year in the Capital while living a very comfortable lifestyle._

_Itachi looked curiously as the smirk returned to the woman's face. She reached forward, trailing a cool fingernail down the side of his neck. It was caught by the buttons of his shirt, which slowly were undone by her. _

_"I want you, for the entire night. You will be mine to do with as I please. That is the payment I require."_

_Itachi was not too fazed by the demand. During his travels as a nukenin, he had become quite familiar with casual sex. Sometimes he would receive it as payment for missions, other times, he would give it. At times, his missions required him to seduce a target, whom he would need to extract information from. _

_Perhaps he could have used his Sharingan to convince her to give him what he wanted. But something clicked inside of Itachi; a particular need to relax for a minute, and enjoy himself for the night. It was a very human urge, and this time, he did not squash it in the name of the mission. Rather, he would engage it fully in the name of the mission. _

_He grabbed her hand, which was still opening his shirt, removing it. She frowned, thinking he had declined payment. However, that frown was retract when he merely slipped his shirt off by himself._

_With speed she could not follow, he was on her, lips pressed against lips, chests against chests, groins against groins. Their hands both roamed each other, exploring each nook and cranny. _

_His mouth moved down, biting at her neck, to which she gave a pleased mewl. Eager to hear more of them. Itachi went lower and lower, moving aside her flimsy underwear to dip his tongue between her wet folds. He felt her fingers through his hair, pushing against his head to force it deeper and deeper. He merely obliged, her sweet voice music to his ears. _

_He drew back as her body convulsed, experiencing a strong orgasm, a fine layer of sweat visible. She raised her head, expertly sinking to her knees before him once her high wore off. _

_His pants were off in a single move, his member immediately worshiped by her skilled mouth. Her head sank up and down repeatedly, her eyes meeting his own, urging him towards climax. _

_With a throaty groan, he did as she wanted, his member sheathed completely in her warm throat. She drew it out slowly, a powerful suction being left in her wake. _

_She raised herself, drawing him into a kiss as she pushed him back on the bed. Lining him up with her entrance, she smiled huskily. _

_"I hope you're ready for a whole night of this."_

* * *

Esdeath's eyes were calculating as she stared at the various papers before her. They were all reports on how a sizeable portion of the men under her command had fallen deathly ill, some even succumbing to the strange sickness that plagued them. Her army was currently halted in an open field, their tents set up as medics hurried about, administering whatever they could to help ease the pain. However, no matter how hard they tried and whatever medicine they used, the conditions of the men were only growing worse.

Said men had been placed in a separate part of the camp, which Esdeath blocked off personally by making thick, impenetrable walls of ice around the area. While she had known a good portion of men were infected, seeing the raw numbers in front of her from the reports of her head medic was truly shocking. The strangest part was how it had set in at roughly the same time for everyone. Despite it's current kill rate, all symptoms suggested a mere flu, viral in nature.

Her frown grew as she realized that all the men who had come down with said flu also happened to have been injured in their battle with the Northern Army.

"Could this be some new poison?" Esdeath mused to herself. It would seem that her and Numa would need to have a little talk later tonight. She did not particularly care about the dying men of her army. Even if poison was the cause, death was a very natural thing to happen during war. However, she was quite curious about what exactly had happened to her men. Not to mention, due to her current affiliation, allowing damage to be done to the armies of the Empire wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Though, she supposed, it did sting her slightly that it was members of _her_ army that would be the ones dying. They were the finest the Empire had to offer, for Esdeath did not allow weaklings to fight for her. They were the true power of the Empire, killers ruthlessly trained by her to fell men and women with each swing of their blades. Even the weakest soldiers of her army were among the strongest in all of the Empire; she had ensured that. It hurt her cold heart to allow such warriors to die outside of the battlefield.

Death was something that Esdeath was surrounded by, often times caused by her own hand. However, it was her own death that Esdeath longed for, in a rather twisted way. She longed to find an opponent so strong that she, Esdeath, could die fighting had saddened her, before she met Itachi, that it was highly likely she would not be able to die in glorious battle. She feared that she would die of growing old, for her strength seemed untouchable by those around her.

That was, of course, until she met Uchiha Itachi. A warrior so strong that he could have killed her. Would have killed her; was certainly about to. Yet he stopped, seeing something useful inside her. He showed her the truth. Why should she, who longed for life threatening battle, serve under an Empire filled with people who could give her just that. Because the honest truth was that the Empire was running out of enemies to point Esdeath at. They had conquered the cardinal directions, with the North the last standing rebellion against them. The West cowed in fear of them after their slaughter of the Southern rebels, and would not dare attack in centuries to come.

It only made sense that she should take preemptive measure to ensure that battle was continued. By joining with Itachi, she had ensured she would fight the strongest of the strong. And while many would see the goal of Akatsuki as madness, she knew that Itachi had the strength to back up his words. He alone was as strong as her, and now she had joined with him. Together, they would bathe in blood.

Subconsciously, she flicked her tongue over her lips, her loins beginning to burn with the heat of desire. That had been a rather pleasing image to her mind's eye.

"Uchiha Itachi," she said with a husky whisper.

_"You will be **mine**."_

* * *

Itachi slunk quietly through the dark halls of Hirano's home, the only lighting at this time the streams of moonlight that flowed through the windows. He walked with purpose, knowing he would not be caught. His mission was simple. Kidnap Hirano and interrogate him about his connection with Night Raid.

In the end, he merely wished to speak with the ever elusive Night Raid. Kidnapping Hirano would lead to one of two outcomes; either he would willfully enter Night Raid's headquarters, or he would allow them to find him after they heard of disappearance of a well known noble. A well known noble that just so happened to have connections to the Revolutionary Army, who were surely connected to Night Raid; of that, Itachi was sure.

He arrived before the large mahogany door, which he knew to be the entrance to his target's sleeping quarters. It was well into the night, and Itachi knew the man was in a deep sleep; the sleeping pills he had arranged to be put into the man's meal assured that.

Itachi casually opened the door, a confidence in his stride as he leisurely paced to the sleeping man, his face barely lit by the dull light of a burning candle. Working quickly, he placed paralysis seals over Hirano's limbs, which he had drawn beforehand. While he was not well versed in the sealing arts, it had been standard procedure for ANBU to learn to draw basic paralysis seals for securing targets for capture and transport.

He sighed in melancholy. While he was a pacifist, there was no denying that a part of him enjoyed the more subtle aspects of the shinobi lifestyle. While Itachi would shine brightly in the limelight, he was at his greatest while walking the shadows.

It was this reminiscence that almost caused him to be hit by the blade heading speedily to his face.

Bursting into action, he drew out his tanto in one slick motion, narrowly blocking it.

His eyes narrowed as he noticed one crucial detail about this whole exchange; he had not been able to sense his opponent approaching.

Now that was definitely worrying. If there was one thing that definitely gave him an edge over anyone in this world was his ability to sense their presence. Everything had chakra. No matter how little of it was present in a person, it was there. The girl before him, clad in her black sailor like uniform coupled with a red skirt, appeared to have none. Rather, she radiated, which Itachi now realized, an energy that felt both foreign and so familiar.

_It was death._

* * *

Duck.

Parry left.

Duck again.

Thrust forward.

Jump.

Roundhouse kick.

Block.

Block again.

Bloc-

THWACK

The noise sounded throughout the clearing as Esdeath's cold staff of ice collided with Numa's cheek, his face snapping to the right as he stumbled back. However, mildly stunned though he was, done he was not. Using the momentum of the blow, he landed with his left hand on the ground, his right leg already coming up in a hook kick.

THWACK

Numa smirked in satisfaction at the solid collision of his foot with Esdeath's face. It felt good to smack the vile woman, a small punishment for all the violence she had brought with her to the North. He backed away to prevent a quick counter, his own icy staff gripped tightly in his right hand, ready for their next exchange.

Esdeath brought her right hand to her face, momentarily dropping her pole to wipe away the blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth, her lips already curling upwards.

"Very good, Numa-san. You're skill is most definitely no joke."

He chose to grunt in response, raising his staff once more, silently beginning the duel again. He was disappointed however, when Esdeath raised her hand.

"That is enough for today, Numa-san. Besides, there are some things we must discuss."

Numa raised an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked. "Such as?"

She shook her head in response. "Not here. Come, we shall speak in my quarters."

He did as she asked, though he was confused as to what the woman wanted. He waited patiently as she slowly paced the room, running her fingers delicately over the various pieces of furniture that decorated the room.

"Have you ever wondered," she began, "Where, exactly, the man known as Uchiha Itachi came from?"

Numa paused at that question. He certainly was not expecting to be asked such. But Esdeath was right- he had spent much time in thought over where Uchiha Itachi came from, and how he had the power he did. The man, by some miracle, had fallen right into his lap, at the perfectly right time to defeat the seemingly unbeatable General Esdeath.

And now, he was on a quest of sorts, to destroy the corruption that ran deep into the roots of the Empire. Truly, he seemed like the hand of the gods, sent to do their work on the mortal realm.

"Indeed, yes, I have wondered as such," Numa replied. "However, I have just as much a clue as you do."

She hummed in response, turning to face him. "It is curious, no? Never have I heard of the name Uchiha, and nor have I even heard rumours of a man as strong as he. With his unique set of skills, it is impossible that no one at all ever told stories of him. He truly does seem to have appeared out of thin air."

And that was true. People always told stories, though some were grossly out of context. One of great power did not escape notice if he was actively using said power. And for him to be that proficient in combat, there was no doubt that it was used very often.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Esdeath smiled in response. "Because, as of the time Akatsuki formed, we are allies. I have no one else to discuss our mysterious leader with."

Her smiled grew just a bit wider.

"Besides, I would love to get to know him a bit more..._personally_."

* * *

Itachi stared down his opponent, which she likewise reciprocated. She appeared to be young, almost the same age as Sasuke. Her clothing was primarily black, which was a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her blade, glinting lightly in the moonlight, was clutched loosely in her left hand, placed carelessly at her side. Yet her face betrayed no signs of overconfidence. Merely self assurance.

She began opening her mouth, as if to speak. Itachi bristled though, ready. Now on high alert, he would not be taken by surprise-

BANG

The sound of a gun going off filled the room, and Itachi barely threw his body to the side as the bullet grazed past him. Once again, he had been completely unable to sense anyone approaching based off energy alone.

He turned his body so he could accordingly keep an eye on both of his apparent opponents. The new entrance was a female, dressed in a classic western style outfit. Her blonde hair cascaded from her brown hat, a cocky smirk plastered on her face as stared down Itachi from behind the iron sights of her dual pistols, her arms still extended towards him.

Itachi switched his gaze between both opponents, analyzing his opponents. Being unable to sense their approach was annoying, forcing him to rely almost purely on instinct. However, the troublesome part would be if they were experienced in fighting together. With close and medium to long range combat in their arsenals, they could be formidable opponents.

That is, of course, if they were experienced in teamwork. Keeping his tanto gripped in his right hand, he palmed a kunai with his left, looking to engage.

His eyes narrowed in on the blonde girl as she began switching stances. Not hesitating a moment, he threw his kunai at her, hoping to take her out of the fight. It was easily dodged, though any ideas of a follow up were halted as he was forced to block an overhead slash from the raven.

Hearing another gunshot as his kunai was dodged, he reflexively substituted with his kunai, appearing right behind the shooter, his tanto already moving to lop off her head. However, just as it was about to make contact, a spear burst from Itachi's chest, puncturing through the side of his heart's right ventricle.

He coughed, pain shooting through his entire thoracic cavity as his heart desperately pumped blood as more and more slowly leaked through the side of the spear. He slowly raised a hand to grip the spear, looking back to see a third opponent; a male, with short light blonde hair and expressionless blue eyes. He donned a white half-face mask, hiding any expression.

Itachi looked back in front of him, his vision blurring. His two other opponents now appeared as mere blurs to him.

The raven advanced, a small smirk on her face. Her eyes looked past him, to her comrade.

"Good work, Natala."

Her eyes then locked back with Itachi's. She watched curiously as he coughed out more blood, a bloodied hand gripped tightly on the spear.

"S...Sasuke."

Her head tilted cutely as she heard the name choked out.

"Is that your name?"

The dying man in front of her shakily nodded his head, pain not allowing him to speak properly.

She laughed a little at that. "You seem to think I care, stranger. This isn't some honourable moment. You're an assassin. Die like one, unknown and forgotten. Though, don't see it as death. See it as living on in my collection. Your Teigu could be interesting in my collection."

She raised her sword to it was perpendicular to her body, ready to swing. Pausing a moment, she spoke one name.

"Kurome."

Then she casually thrust her sword forward, piercing through his aorta. Almost dead as he was, the blow instantly killed him, his body slumping forward as life left him and death embraced him.

The girl, Kurome, removed her sword from Itachi's body, wiping the blood off the flat of the blade using Itachi's shoulder. She nodded to Natala, who removed the spear from his body, allowing it to fall face first onto the ground.

She sheathed her blade, turning to check on Hirano, the noble who was being targeted by her now slain foe, only to find that he had disappeared. She frowned.

"Did he wake up and run away?" she muttered to herself, before turning to her puppets. "Natala, Doya, find him."

They nodded in response, sprinting out of the room to look for Kurome's charge. Protection of various influential nobles had increased after the sudden assassination of Tanaka Ishimo, and Kurome had been assigned to protect Hirano; or rather, she had been assigned to assassinate any would be assassins.

She began leisurely walking out of the room, beginning to feel drowsy. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if she hadn't slept for days.

She fought back a yawn, but could fully stop it as it escaped. She blinked, her eyelids moving slowly. In fact, everything felt slow. The world seemed to move in slow motion as she struggled to walk.

Black spots were appearing in her vision now. Kurome desperately shoved her hand into her pocket, pulling out her special bag of treats, hoping the special drugs could stop whatever was ailing her.

She had only just brought one to her mouth when her hands seemingly lost control, dropping it somewhere to the ground. Reaching into her pocket again, she fumbled for more, only to find the bag was gone.

Kurome aimed her gaze downwards, hoping to find her last treat. Instead, all she saw was black beneath her. Stumbling back in shock, she looked around her. Everything had seemingly turned to black.

Or rather, everything around her had disappeared, giving way to the nothingness that surrounded her. She fought desperately against the heaviness and the urge to sleep, and drew her sword from her sheath once more. Yatsufusa would protect her now. Her only allies would save her from this nothingness.

Yet nothing came. No matter how hard she focused, her Teigu wouldn't activate. It had abandoned her, like everything else in this world.

She screamed in raw anger, throwing it away as tears came to her eyes. She screamed and screamed, falling to her knees as her fists beat angrily on the solid blackness beneath her.

When she could not scream no more, and her hands ached from the self abuse, she finally looked up.

Two glowing red eyes, three tomoe in each, stared back in her. They spun idly, and Kurome found herself lost in their somehow ethereal beauty.

The darkness around her faded away, and the last thing Kurome saw before she fell unconscious was her target staring apathetically back at her with his powerful red eyes.

* * *

**Well, that took a while. But let's be real, I just got lazy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, with all it's different perspectives. The lemon scene was riskier on my part, but I definitely feel like Itachi is human like everyone else, and has human urges. And bet some of you thought that I actually killed off Itachi didn't you? I wanna know if you actually were about to rage at me in reviews haha. No clue when the next one will be out, but hopefully won't take another year, eh? **

**Read and review lots!**

**HokagenoNaruto, out. **


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